The Nigerian Army has declared two top leaders of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) wanted following a major intelligence breakthrough during recent military operations in the Lake Chad region.
The wanted terrorists are the group’s governor, Abu Musa Al-Mangawi Baa Shuwa, also known as Wali, and his deputy, Amirul Jaish Muhammad Jidda.
The Acting Military Information Officer of the Northeast Joint Task Force, Operation Hadin Kai, Captain Muhammed Goni, announced the development in a statement on Wednesday.
According to him, the identities of the suspects were uncovered after military intelligence experts analysed technical devices recovered from ISWAP fighters during recent offensives in northern Borno State.
Captain Goni said troops seized several valuable intelligence materials during the operations, including a camcorder allegedly used by the terrorists to record propaganda videos and document their activities.
He explained that forensic analysis of the recovered devices provided actionable intelligence, leading to the identification of locations linked to terrorist operations as well as the identities of several senior ISWAP commanders operating around the Mangari, Metele and Dogon Chukun axis near the Lake Chad Basin in Abadam and Kukawa Local Government Areas of Borno State.
Among those identified are Abu Musa Al-Mangawi Baa Shuwa, the ISWAP governor; his deputy, Muhammad Jidda, popularly known as “The One-Handed Man”; and Hamad Abu Hanifa, identified as the group’s Amirul-Fiya.
The military said the latest breakthrough is part of the ongoing efforts under Operation Hadin Kai to dismantle terrorist networks and strengthen security in the North-East.
