Stop foreign terrorists’ infiltration, expert tells FG

The President of the Association of Industrial Security and Safety Operators of Nigeria, Dr Ona Ekhomu, has advised the Federal Government to take urgent actions to counter the infiltration of terrorists from the West African sub-region into the country.

He said Nigeria’s already dire security situation would be severely aggravated if it was further complicated with attacks by foreign Sahelian Jihadi groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.

Ekhomu stated this on Monday while reacting to the intelligence provided by the United States of America that ISIS and Al-Qaeda terror groups were on the march to Southern Nigeria through the North-West of the country.

He said the rising spate of terrorist/bandit attacks in the North-West states of Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto, Kaduna, Kebbi and Niger, was sufficient evidence of the occupation of ungoverned spaces in Nigeria, from where attacks were being launched.

Ekhomu said since Nigeria’s porous borders had made it hard for the authorities to prevent infiltration into the country by foreign terrorists, the law enforcement agencies should detect and arrest them once on Nigerian soil.

He asked Nigerian authorities to strengthen the security infrastructure of the country.

“The terrorists have access to illicit weapons. So they are armed and dangerous and must be confronted with overwhelming force,” he added.