A terrorist organisation, Darus Salam has re-emerged in Toto Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.
POLITICS NIGERIA reports that the Nigerian Army had dislodged the terrorist sect and bombed their hideout around Mokwa, Niger State in 2009. This led to the insurgents relocating to Nasarawa after 3, 500 members of the sect were killed during the operation.
Meanwhile, troops of Operation Whirl Stroke discovered the sect on Wednesday, August 26 during a clearance patrol following an intelligence report as part of efforts to liberate the North Central part of the country.
During the operation, a bomb-making factory was discovered during the operation, while some members of the group, including their women and children, surrendered.
According to Daily Trust reports, the group was amassing weapons ahead of imminent attacks, a clear departure from how they met in Niger State in 2009.
The newspaper reports that when the group was dislodged in 2009 in Niger, its leader at the Malam Bashir Abdullahi Sulaiman told this newspaper that they were not violent.
“We face Allah with all our actions. We are no threats.
“We’ve been living in this town for 16 years now.
“Let them come and investigate if for one day any of us has ever been arrested on any criminal or civil unrest.
“Our aim is to practise the proper ethics of Islam without associating with the sinful world.
“That was why we migrated from various states down here.
“Here, we abhor alcoholism, brothels, lesbianism, homosexuality, fornication, adultery and all sorts of cultural, religious, economical corruption.
“Our aim is not to infringe on the rights of other people.
“They have their rights to live and we have our own too.
“After all, there’s no compulsion in religion.
“Let us be clear, we did not dissociate ourselves from the Niger State government facilities.
“We refer our sick ones to their hospitals if their cases are above the knowledge of our medical team.
“Our doctors profess Islamic medicines like using honey and other herbs originated from the teachings of Muhammad (SAW).
“Four years ago, the SSS and other security operatives from Abuja visited us and conducted a thorough search into our houses with the motive to find any incriminating weapon, but nothing of such was found with us.
“That confirmed to government that we are peaceful and not in any way violent or threatening the peace of anybody; they made us to sign an undertaking not to be violent, to be law-abiding and we did that.
“We have a copy of that undertaking and they have theirs.”
