The Conference of Civil Society Organisations for Peace, Security and National Development has said the arrest of 28 informants of local and foreign nationals alleged to have been leaking operational secrets to the Boko Haram terrorists has vindicated the military’s claim that the Transparency International (TI) and other NGOs were sabotaging its efforts.
The CSOs position is coming on the heels of media reports that the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) recently attacked the military post in Diffa, in the Niger Republic, along a border area with Nigeria.
A statement signed by Com. Mike Msuaan and Adamu Kabir Matazu, conveners of the group expressed satisfaction with results coming out of military intelligence particularly now that the Army top brass is leading the onslaught against the insurgents.
“The military intelligence has so far arrested 28 notorious informants who were leaking troop movements to terrorists. The suspects, under interrogation, have provided useful information that could lead to major crackdown on local collaborators and supporters in that axis.
“Information available to us points to the fact that statements made by the suspected informants confirm allegations made by the military that Transparency International and other international Non-Governmental Organisations operating in the troubled region were sympathetic to the insurgents’, the statement noted.
It is pertinent to note that the local elements arrested alongside the foreign informants are not working alone but foot soldiers to their foreign paymasters. This complicates the situation for the gallant soldiers because the locals are more familiar with the terrian thereby frustrating the efforts of the army command.
The group further argued that although the insurgents released a video showing their fighters entering the military post on foot and in vehicles, taking weapons and ammunition, their claim of killing five soldiers was mere wishful thinking as the troops were out on counter-insurgency operations along the Lake Chad axis.
“Intelligence information available to us reveals that, the few soldiers on ground retreated because of the large number of terrorists. Consequently, there was no casualty as such the claim by the insurgents was a mere ploy to boost their ego. Similarly, there were no corpses in the video to buttress their claim.
