Military Places Bounty on Top ISWAP Leaders After Intelligence Breakthrough in Lake Chad
The military has announced a substantial financial reward for information leading to the arrest of Abu Musa Al-Mangawi Baa Shuwa, identified as the most wanted leader of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) operating in the Lake Chad Basin.
The announcement followed a major intelligence breakthrough by troops of Operation HADIN KAI during recent offensive operations against ISWAP fighters in northern Borno State.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Acting Military Information Officer, Headquarters Joint Task Force (North East), Operation HADIN KAI, Captain Mohammed Goni, said the military had identified several senior ISWAP commanders after recovering and forensically exploiting technical devices seized during the operations.
According to him, the recovered items included a camcorder allegedly used by ISWAP terrorists to produce propaganda videos and document operational activities. Analysis of the devices generated actionable intelligence that exposed terrorist locations and identified key figures operating within the Mangari–Metele–Dogon Chukun axis along the fringes of the Lake Chad Basin in Abadam and Kukawa Local Government Areas of Borno State.
Read Also:
The identified terrorist leaders include Abu Musa Al-Mangawi Baa Shuwa, described as the Wali (Governor) of the Islamic State West Africa Province; his deputy and Amirul Jaish, Muhammad Jidda, also known as “The One-Handed Man”; and Hamad Abu Hanifa, the Amirul-Fiya of ISWAP.
Operation HADIN KAI said Abu Musa Al-Mangawi Baa Shuwa remains the most wanted ISWAP commander in the Lake Chad region and announced that a substantial financial reward would be paid to anyone whose credible and actionable intelligence leads directly to his arrest.
The military assured potential informants that all information received would be treated with the highest level of confidentiality and that the identities of those providing intelligence would be protected in line with established security procedures.
Operation HADIN KAI urged members of the public to support ongoing counter-terrorism operations by volunteering timely and credible information that could assist security agencies in tracking and apprehending the wanted terrorist leaders.
The Joint Task Force advised citizens to report relevant information through established security reporting channels or via 0708 498 8859, while cautioning the public against attempting to confront or arrest the suspects themselves.
By PRNigeria
