It was early morning invasion of the forest by a combined team of security personnel which included the army, the airforce, the navy, the police, the State Security Service (SSS) and the civil defence corps.
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The sect, said to have been in existence for about eight years in Lapai town, moved to the forest, its new camp, only last year, and is allegedly headed by the son of a wealthy Lapai indigene.
It has followership mostly of youths including students of the state owned university, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University (IBBU), Lapai, (named after former General Ibrahim Babangida); College of Education, Minna and even men and women from within and outside the state.
Security reports showed that members of the sect may have been indoctrinated in line with the teachings of their leader and therefore became a security threat. Sunday Vanguard learnt that the sect moved to the camp after the leader had applied to the state government for the approval of a vast land in Lapai town for the purpose of building a school.
Since it is the policy of the Niger State government to assist prospective investors, the state government jumped at the demand. A vast land of about 208.88 hectres was approved for the leader and a certificate of occupancy also handed over to him in record time.
Not only that, the members were said to be fomenting trouble and attacking members of the public who did not share their views. They were also accused of forcefully dissolving marriages and also conducting marriages after dissolving legal weddings.
Governor Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, after receiving reports from security agencies and residents of the area immediately set up a task force to investigate the allegations. The outcome of the report led to the invasion of the forest by security personnel during which the members were rounded up.
Members of the sect did not seem to have premonition of the invasion. In the forest were tents built of straw and covered with leaves that served as the sect members’ residence.
While preparing for the early morning prayers (Asuba) on the day, the security personnel invaded the forest and surrounded the parcel of land the sect members were occupying. They were captured, interrogated and taken in three luxurious buses to their respective local government areas.
A breakdown of the sect members indicated that 130 were from Lapai including students of the university in the town while others are from other local government areas of Niger State and very few from outside the state.
It was gathered that one of the kiosks in the campus was being used as recruitment centre by the owner who attracted students with money and lured them to the camp.
“Mohammed invited me to one of the programmes of the sect and I became fascinated by the preaching of the leader. For the past six months, I have been in the camp and going for lectures from there,” she explained.
On why she decided to vacate the school for the camp, Khadijat said,” I don’t want to miss any of the preachings. Infact, I want to be with my leader and teacher always.”
She added, “All the allegations against my leader are not true. I have no regret following him as my Islamic leader and I want to tell you that my parents are even aware that I am with him. When I newly joined the sect, I met some students of the university here and we are still together and I can assure you that more would still be coming to join us because of the quality teaching of my leader.”
Another student of IBBU, Abdullahi Mohammed, who is also a member of the sect and a micro-biology student, told our correspondent that he had been with the sect leader since childhood.
Culled from www.vanguardngr.com
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