Muslim Brotherhood: Planning Deadly Attacks in Nigeria - Alhaji Lai Mohammed

The federal government yesterday issued a warning to Nigerians of the subterranean plan by Muslim Brotherhood Cell in the country to launch terrorist attack. The group is an affiliate of the dreaded terrorist group, Boko Haram and its Nigerian cell is allegedly based in Kogi State, in North-central Nigeria.

A statement issued by Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed said some members of the group had fought along Islamic State in Libya and were planning to acquire bomb-making chemicals and high-calibre weapons to per- petrate acts of terror, including attacks on banks, arms depots and prisons.

Mohammed said that intel- ligence monitoring revealed the frantic efforts by Muslim Brother- hood to upgrade its capability to make Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) by acquiring chemicals such as Sodium Azide (for producing improvised detonators), Potassium Chlorate (alternative to ammonium nitrate used for producing IEDs) and Aluminum Powder (a fuel source for amplifying explosions).

”One Usman, an IED appren- tice, left the cell some time back to join Islamic State in Libya. The new desire to acquire IED precursor chemicals could sug- gest that Usman or other persons may have returned from Libya and have acquired IED-making skills intended to increase the activities of the group,” he said.

The minister said intelligence also revealed that the group was making serious efforts to acquire sophisticated arms, including shoulder-fired rocket launchers.

”Further intelligence monitor- ing has revealed that members of the Muslim Brotherhood are planning to forcefully free their members who are in detention in Kogi, Abuja and Kaduna, including one Bilyaminu, an IED expert for the group who is now at Kuje prison,” he said.

Subsequently, Mohammed asked Nigerians to be vigilant and to report any suspicious persons or movements to the appropriate authorities.