A member of the Sahara Strategy Group (SSG) has asked the Nigerian Federal Government to probe reports that some organisations in Nigeria like the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) based in Nigeria is receiving funds from Islamic State for West Africa Province (ISWAP) which has recently been operating in the North West.
At a conference held in Abidjan, Ivory Coast on Friday, San Lous Keita, a member of the SSG from Mali and former Intelligence Chief said reports available to the intelligence community in West Africa listed MURIC as one of the groups that has received funds from ISWAP in the last two years.
While speaking on Terrorism and Failing States in Africa, Keita said MURIC was said to have received some $250,000 dollars from ISWAP in the past months adding that the funds were meant for MURIC to recruit and train local people in the South West that would provide the logistics needed for ISWAP proposed stronghold on Southern Nigeria.
“In Mali, we have a list of groups listed to be working for ISWAP. There is a particular group, MURIC which is based in Nigeria and led by a University Professor, Ishaq Akintolar (sic)Intelligence report shows ISWAP has been holding series of meetings with ISWAP. The group has been funded recently to the tune of $250,000 dollars brought in cash by ISWAP main agent in Nigeria who is a Lebanese working in Nigeria,” he told the conference attended by our correspondent.
Keita said reports indicated that ISWAP asked MURIC to concentrate on recruiting young Fulani men living in Southern Nigeria.
“ISWAP knows it will be difficult to recruit people of Southern origin so MURIC was asked to concentrate on Fulanis who live in the South West. This information was passed on to the Nigerian authorities. We believe they will do diligent investigation and nip in the bud plans by extremists to infiltrated West Africa.
He urged countries in West Africa to take serious the United States warning about ISIS and ISWAP plans to unleash terror on Southern Nigeria and other West African States.
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