Boko Haram is trying to expand its
activities beyond Nigeria's mainly Muslim north, to include the
commercial capital Lagos, as well as other parts of the country,
officials say.
Nigeria's intelligence agency says 12 members of the Islamist militant group have been arrested in Lagos since July.
It is not possible to independently verify details of the statement.
Boko Haram has waged a six-year insurgency in Nigeria, mainly in the north-east of the country.
Authorities
arrested other self-confessed Boko Haram members in the south-eastern
city of Enugu as well as other parts of central and northern Nigeria,
the Department of State Services (DSS) said in a statement. The DSS attributes the attempted expansion of Boko
Haram into southern areas to the increased pressure the group is under
in its north-eastern heartland.
However, the BBC's Will Ross in
Lagos says the group is still causing havoc in the north-east, with
reports that more than 50 people were killed in an attack in Borno State
on Friday, about 100km (62 miles) north of the state capital Maiduguri.
Will Ross, BBC News, Lagos
For
many in Lagos it will be alarming to hear that a dozen Boko Haram
members have been arrested here in recent weeks. I have often been told
by Lagosians that the jihadist group would never dare attack this city,
which seems more naive than reassuring, especially as there was an
attempt to bomb a fuel depot last year.
The announcement from the
secret police, known as the DSS, came just a day after another
statement told us a teenager had been picked up inside Abuja airport
where he was gathering intelligence for Boko Haram - another disturbing
bit of news.
The DSS says the arrests have helped avert
"devastating attacks" and that "notable commanders and frontline
members" have been rounded up.
We have no way of independently
verifying the information in the statements but it is worth noting that
all the security departments are under pressure to demonstrate that they
are having an impact against Boko Haram, especially as President
Muhammadu Buhari has made tackling the jihadist insurgency a priority
and is still making senior appointments.
A new DSS director general was appointed in early July and the latest statement says the arrests began the very next week.
Boko Haram at a glance:
Founded in 2002, initially focused on
opposing Western-style education - Boko Haram means "Western education
is forbidden" in the Hausa language
Launched military operations in 2009
Thousands killed, mostly in north-eastern Nigeria, abducted hundreds, including at least 200 schoolgirls
Joined Islamic State, now calls itself "West African province"
Seized large area in north-east, where it declared caliphate
Regional force has retaken most territory this year
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