The Nigerian Army has warned that it is a grievous criminal offence for individuals or communities to continue to shield or harbour any known Boko Haram terrorists in their midst.
The army spokesman, Brig.-Gen. Sani Usman gave the warning in a statement on Thursday in Abuja after troops thwarted attempt by the remnants of Boko Haram terrorists to invade and attack Magumeri town.
Usman said the terrorists made the attempt on Wednesday evening to attack the town in Magumeri Local Government Area of Borno, but that the timely invention of troops thwarted the attempt.
Operation Lafiya Dole on clearance operations in the North-East has been raiding suspected hideouts of terrorists, destroying their camps and neutralising them.
“Consequently, we are constrained to state that it is high time for the people to take up the fight and help the Nigerian military and other security agencies to protect them.
“The terrorists must be exposed and their movements promptly reported to the security agencies. The terrorists are inhuman and barbaric, therefore, cannot be trusted to spare anyone in perpetuating their inhuman acts,’’ he said.
“It is imperative that all communities in the North-East, especially Borno, should fully cooperate with the military and the security agencies by exposing Boko Haram terrorists in their respective towns and villages.’’
The army spokesman said preliminary investigation showed that terrorists who attempted to attack Magumeri came from the same community, adding that the terrorists that attacked the village were well known to the people.
He stated that throughout the period of the insurgency, Magumeri was never attacked, adding that the terrorists and their collaborators hibernating in the area were never exposed for ”inexplicable reasons.”
It should be noted that after several months of decimation against Boko Haram group, they have been trying to relaunch themselves into recogning to no avail.