'Muslim Brotherhood' plotting deadly attacks in Nigeria, government warns

AbujA, Sahara Reporters & Others - The Federal Government has disclosed that  Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist group and an affiliate of BokoHaram, is planning to attack banks, arms depot and prisons across the country with bombs and high-calibre weapons.

A statement issued in Abuja on Friday quoted the Minister of Information and Culture, Mr. Lai Mohammed, as saying that intelligence monitoring has shown that the  Kogi State-based group is striving to expand its capacity to manufacture Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). The statement signed by the Minister’s media aide, Mr. Segun Adeyemi, said the Muslim Brotherhood has been acquiring chemicals like sodium azide, used in producing IED detonators; Potassium Chlorate, a substitute for ammonium nitrate used for producing IEDs; and aluminum powder, a fuel source for amplifying explosions.

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

Mr. Mohammed added that intelligence has also revealed that the group is investing huge efforts in the acquisition of sophisticated arms, including shoulder-fired rocket launchers.

''Further intelligence monitoring 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.

The Information Minister called on Nigerians to be vigilant and to report any suspicious persons or movements to the security agencies.

Earlier on Friday, gunmen attacked a police station at Eika community in Okehi Local Government Area of Kogi state, killing two policemen and a detainee.

The News Agency of Nigeria reported that the bandits invaded the police station at about 1 a.m. and opened fire on policemen on duty, killing them, alongside a detainee.