The Defense Headquarters has placed a total bounty of N60 million on two senior leaders of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) after identifying them during recent military operations in the Lake Chad region.
The Army declared the Governor of ISWAP, Abu Musa Al-Mangawi Baa Shuwa, also known as Wali, and his deputy, Amirul Jaish Muhammad Jidda, wanted following the recovery and forensic analysis of technical devices seized during an offensive by troops of Operation Hadin Kai.
The Acting Military Information Officer, Northeast Joint Taskforce Operation Hadin Kai, Captain Muhammed Goni, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday.
He said troops recovered several technical devices, intelligence materials and a camcorder used by ISWAP fighters to record propaganda videos and document their operations.
He said forensic exploitation of the recovered items provided actionable intelligence that led to the identification of terrorist locations and several senior ISWAP commanders operating within the Mangari–Metele–Dogon Chukun axis along the Lake Chad Basin in Abadam and Kukawa Local Government Areas of Borno State.
“The identified terrorist leaders and key operatives include: Abu Musa Al-Mangawi Baa Shuwa – Wali (Governor of ISIS West Africa Province), his deputy/Amirul Jaish Muhammad Jidda (‘The One-Handed Man’) and Hamad Abu Hanifa, the Amirul-Fiya of ISWAP, among others,” the statement said.
Goni described Abu Musa as the most wanted terrorist leader currently operating within the Lake Chad Basin.
He said the military would offer a substantial financial reward to anyone who provides credible and actionable information leading to Abu Musa’s arrest, assuring that the identities of informants would be fully protected.
The Army urged members of the public to support ongoing counter-terrorism operations by reporting useful information through established security channels or by calling 0708 498 8859.
It also warned Nigerians not to confront or attempt to arrest the suspects under any circumstances.
The military placed a N50 million bounty on Abu Musa Al-Mangawi Baa Shuwa and a N10 million bounty on Muhammad Jidda, bringing the total reward to N60 million for information leading to their arrest.
