TERRORISTS HAVE CREATED A 'PARALLEL GOVT IN KADUNA - GOV. EL-RUFAI WRITES PRES. BUHARI

Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has told President Muhammadu Buhari that terrorists have formed a "parallel" government and "permanent operational base" in the state

The governor said this in a memo sent to the president in late July, according to reports.

According to the report, the terrorists belonging to Ansaru al-Musulmina fi Bilad al-Sudan, or Ansaru for short, are believed to have moved to Birnin Gwari in Kaduna State in 2012 when they broke away from Boko Haram.

It was gathered that the terrorists that formed Ansaru were responsible for some of the high-profile attacks claimed by Boko Haram before the split.

Such attacks included the UN building bombing of August 2011 and the kidnap of some foreigners. According to the sources, Ansaru pledged allegiance to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, AQIM, in 2020, and is responsible for many of the high-profile abductions as well as armed attacks on the police in Kaduna State

In the memo, Mr El-Rufai lay bare how the terrorists have infiltrated and dominated communities and formed "a parallel governing authority," exercising control over social and economic activities and dispensation of justice in the area.

He said the terrorists have advanced in their plans to make Kaduna forest areas their "permanent operational base" for the North-west region, citing a "series of intelligence reports."

"Observed movement patterns and intercepted communications of migrating terrorists have shown a clear interest in setting up a base, with the stretches of forest area between Kaduna and Niger states strongly considered," he wrote.