By Wale Afolabi
The Nigerian Army has declared the Governor of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), Abu Musa Al-Mangawi Baa Shuwa, also known as Wali, and his deputy, Amirul Jaish Muhammad Jidda, wanted following a major intelligence breakthrough during recent counter-terrorism operations in the Lake Chad region of Borno State.
The Acting Military Information Officer of the Northeast Joint Task Force, Operation Hadin Kai, Captain Muhammed Goni, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday, saying the identities of the terrorist leaders were uncovered after forensic analysis of technical devices recovered during military offensives against ISWAP.
According to Goni, troops recovered several high-value intelligence materials, including a camcorder used by the terrorist group to produce propaganda videos and document operational activities.
He said forensic exploitation of the devices generated actionable intelligence that led to the identification of terrorist hideouts and senior ISWAP commanders operating within the Mangari–Metele–Dogon Chukun corridor along the Lake Chad Basin in Abadam and Kukawa Local Government Areas of Borno State.
Among those identified were Abu Musa Al-Mangawi Baa Shuwa, described as the governor of ISWAP, his deputy and Amirul Jaish, Muhammad Jidda, popularly known as “The One-Handed Man,” and Hamad Abu Hanifa, identified as the group’s Amirul-Fiya.
Goni described Abu Musa as the most wanted terrorist leader currently operating within the Lake Chad Basin and announced that the military would offer a substantial financial reward to anyone whose credible and actionable information leads to his arrest.
He assured members of the public that all information provided would be treated with the highest level of confidentiality and that the identities of informants would be fully protected in line with established security procedures.
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The Army urged residents to support ongoing counter-terrorism operations by volunteering credible intelligence that could assist security agencies in locating and apprehending the wanted terrorist leaders.
Goni advised citizens to report relevant information through established security reporting channels or via the dedicated telephone line 0708 498 8859, warning that members of the public should not attempt to confront or arrest the suspects themselves.
The military also recalled that a ₦50 million bounty had earlier been placed on Ibn Muhammad, commander of ISWAP’s Amniyya unit, while ₦10 million had been offered for information leading to the arrest of Muhammad Jidda, who also commands the Jaish unit.
The latest development underscores ongoing efforts by Operation Hadin Kai to dismantle the leadership structure of ISWAP through intelligence-led military operations in Nigeria’s North-East.
