Ulama Council Rejects ISWAP’s Tags on Two Tailors in Yelwa
The Council of Ulama in Yelwa, Shendam Local Government Area of Plateau State, has strongly condemned what it described as the wrongful tagging of two local tailors—Abdulkadir Dalhatu and Ubaidu Hassan—as members of the terrorist group, Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP).
The two 25-year-old men were named in a press release issued by Operation Safe Haven (OPSH) on April 12, 2025, which claimed its operatives had arrested ISWAP members during a sting operation in Yelwa. The military also released their photographs and alleged that they were posing as tailors while operating as terrorists.
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However, in a counter-statement signed by four religious leaders, including Imam Abdulkarim Salihu, Chairman of the Ulama Council, the community insisted that no such operation took place in Yelwa on the date stated. Instead, they narrated that the youths were apprehended after confronting an unidentified man who was taking their photos without explanation. The man reportedly claimed to be on “official duty” but refused to properly identify himself, prompting community elders to intervene.
Following a police invitation, the two young men and an elder, Mr. Suleiman Abdullahi Baraya, were taken to the 332 Artillery Regiment Barracks in Shendam and later transferred to Jos. According to Mr. Baraya, the military was pursuing a suspected terrorist allegedly linked to their tailoring shop in the past, and the man taking photos was an intelligence officer on an undercover mission.
The Ulama Council described the subsequent media labeling of the tailors as ISWAP members as unjust, noting their good reputation and law-abiding conduct in the community.
They called for a thorough, fair, and speedy investigation by Operation Safe Haven and demanded the immediate release of the detained youths to return to their work and support their families.
By PRNigeria
