TheCable

The Nigeria defence headquarters has issued a warning that Boko Haram insurgents now disguise as vigilantes and hunters to carry out attacks on unsuspecting members of the public.

Rabe Abubakar, defence spokesman, gave this warning in a statement on Monday.

He said that the insurgents were adopting this strategy to evade easy detection.

“Following the coordinated military offensive against the remnants of Boko Haram terrorists in Sambisa forest, the fleeing terrorists now disguise as vigilantes or hunters to evade easy detection,” Abubakar said.

“The terrorists, after been smoked out of Sambisa forest, in their desperation to wreak havoc on innocent Nigerians and to remain relevant, devised a new tactics of dressing like vigilantes or hunters to deceive unsuspecting members of the public of their true identity.

“The case of Kuda-Kaya village in Madagali community of Adamawa state where a group of Boko Haram terrorists, dressed like vigilantes, opened fire on elated people during a ceremony readily comes to mind.”

Abubakar urged the general public to be wary of unsubscribed services or presence of vigilantes or hunters in their neighbourhood in order not to ignorantly harbour killer gangs in their midst.

“Members of the public are also advised to be security-conscious, at all times, and report promptly to security agencies of any suspicious persons or group of persons in their community or raise alarm, where necessary,” he said.