DHQ allays fears of al-Qaeda invasion of Nigeria

* The US connection

The Defence Headquarters has reacted to the reported infiltration of Nigeria by al-Qaeda terrorist group.

The Commander of the United States Africa Command, Major General Dagvin Aderson, had said on Tuesday that Al-Qaeda was already taking root in the North West part of the country.

He said at a virtual press briefing that the Islamic State, Al-Qaeda, Boko Haram and Al-Shabab had forced over 9,000 schools to close down in the last five years in different African countries, including Nigeria.

However, in a statement issued by the Coordinator, Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. John Enenche, the DHQ said the reported activities of the terror groups in West Africa are not new.

He stated the Nigerian security forces are conscious of their operations, and has been working to contain them.

Enenche said the US commander’s alert is merely a call to sustain the onslaught against Boko Haram terrorists and their allies.

He added that the military is not oblivious to the potency of such infiltration, saying “it was the Nigerian military who raised the alarm of terrorists’ movement from the Middle East to West Africa and is conscious of it.”

“Our attention is drawn to the fact that terrorists from other zones are coming here; I think it would be good for us to be keeping records of events as they unfold,” the coordinator concluded.