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Nigerian govt claims troops killed Al-Barnawi’s successor in ISWAP

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The National Security Adviser, Maj. Gen. Babagana Mongonu (retd), claimed on Thursday troops fighting insurgency in the North-East have killed one Malam Bako, described as the successor to the leader of the Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP), Abu Musab Al-Barnawi.

Mongonu disclosed this to State House correspondents at the end of a Security Council meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor, had on October 14 confirmed the death of al-Barnawi.

The CDS was however silent on how the ISWAP leader was killed.

Mongonu told journalists Bako was killed by troops along with a prominent member of the ISWAP on Tuesday.

He said: “The fact again is that the armed forces, the land forces have done an excellent job because in the span of one month we have been able to take out the leadership of the Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP) – that is Abu Musab Al-Barnawi.

“Two days ago, the man who succeeded him, one Malam Bako, one of the prominent leaders of the Shura Council of the Islamic State of West African Province, was also taken out.

READ ALSO: How troops killed 18 ISWAP commanders, others in Borno – Nigerian Army

“They are also contending with a leadership crisis. You know these things are also accompanied by inherent issues of trust, conflicts, mutual suspicion, and other things.

“So, the operations being conducted by the armed forces in the Northern parts of the country put a lot of pressure on the Islamic State of West African Province, Boko Haram, and also the tangential group known as Islamic State in the Greatest Sahara.’’

On the Anambra election, the NSA said President Buhari urged the security agencies to ensure the successful conduct of the exercise.

Monguno added: “The President has directed that under no circumstances will anything be allowed to stop the elections from taking place successfully. The people have a right to vote and select their leader.

“No group or individual will be allowed to stimulate anarchy and chaos, leading to murderous activities.

“The President has made it very clear that the Armed Forces and all law enforcement agencies must make sure that the elections take place even if it means overwhelming the entire environment with the presence of security personnel.

“There are so many implications for elections to be sabotaged by non-state actors.

“In the first place, we are in a democracy, secondly it is important to note that if these non-state actors should succeed in destroying the potentials for orderly elections, then it is natural that other parts of the country would also want to copy this same situation.’’

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