The Nigerian military has cleared a Nigerien camel rearer who was earlier reported by a pro-military blog as a suspected Moroccan member of the Islamic State (ISIS), saying investigations found no evidence linking him to any terrorist group.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the acting spokesperson for Operation Hadin Kai, Mohammed Goni, identified the man as Aboubakar Zein-Nur, also known as Houdairi, and said he was detained during military operations but has now been cleared after intelligence assessments and investigations.
“Comprehensive intelligence assessments and other investigative processes did not establish that the individual has any affiliation to any known terrorist group,” Mr Goni said.
The clarification comes nine days after Zagazola Makama, a platform that frequently publishes security reports, including ones from unnamed sources, reported that troops had arrested “a fleeing foreign suspect believed to be an Arab of Moroccan origin with suspected links to the Islamic State (ISIS).”
The report, published on 14 July, was not issued through the Nigerian Army’s official communication channels. It was, however, widely republished by several Nigerian media outlets, as seen here and here.
