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Nigeria's Boko Haram plans abductions for ransom: official

Xinhua, December 20, 2015 Adjust font size:

Boko Haram terrorists in Nigeria were planning another sensational abduction of pupils/students or foreigners in a desperate effort to raise funds through ransom, a top official said on Friday.

The planned abduction was in line with the terrorists' new modus operandi of focusing on soft targets, having been routed from their stronghold and their capacity to stage spectacular attacks substantially degraded, Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, said in a statement reaching Xinhua in Lagos.

The minister said the largely defeated terrorists have now concentrated their attacks on soft targets, like motor parks, schools and entertainment centers.

He said the terrorists had been decimated to a level that they are now incapable of staging spectacular attacks like they used to do.

The kidnap of the Chibok girls in 2014 which attracted global attention to the terrorist group is what it is now trying to repeat, hoping it can find vulnerable targets, especially schools, or a group of foreigners outside the front line states, the government spokesperson added.

According to him, the plan by Boko Haram is also part of an overall strategy by the terrorists to seek to negatively impact on the psyche of the gallant troops who have routed them (terrorists) from their stronghold.

Mohammed said the security alert is aimed at sensitizing the general public, operators of hotels and entertainment centers, motor parks and similar facilities to also upgrade their security arrangements for the holidays.

The government spokesperson assured that it would build on the successes recorded by the military which had largely met the deadline to degrade the capability of the terrorists. Endit