BREAKING NEWS, Security
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PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has ordered a full investigation into how a wanted terrorist was granted Nigerian visa in Lebanon to visit the country. An official of the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs disclosed this in Abuja, on Tuesday, August 18.
Buhari reportedly directed the ministry of Foreign Affairs to investigate the circumstances surrounding the issuance of Nigerian visa to Ahmad al-Assir, a Lebanese Muslim cleric, terrorist who had been on the wanted list of several governments.
Al-Assir was arrested by Lebanese authorities as he attempted to leave Lebanon for Nigeria via Cairo.
The fugitive was said to have been arrested while attempting to travel with a fake Palestinian passport with a valid Nigerian visa at Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport on Saturday, August 15, in Lebanon.
According to officials of the ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Presidency has been directed to explain how the wanted terrorist was able to get Nigerian visa.
“The reported arrest of the wanted terrorist is a huge embarrassment to Nigeria and the president has directed that the matter should be investigated. The Nigerian embassy in Lebanon has been directed to furnish the ministry with details of how the man got the visa. The National Intelligence Agency Officer has been directed to provide details of what happened,” an official said.
According to the official, Nigerian embassies around the world have been directed to keep a tab on wanted persons in their countries of accreditation and “we are amazed that such a high profile terrorist would evade our radar. This is a major breach that cannot be allowed to go without investigation.
“This is more so that the Boko Haram sect has pledged allegiance to Islamic State terrorists. There is no way our embassy officials will allow such laxity in their areas of operation. The president is justifiably furious about it,” the source added.
At the time of his arrest, al-Assir, who was travelling with another man, was holding a fake passport in the name of Rami Abdul Rahman Taleb, while his companion was holding a passport in the name of Khaled Sidani.
The wanted terrorist was reported to have shaved off his iconic beard and under gone facial surgery to conceal his real identity but was identified by eagle eyed Lebanese security operatives.
Al-Assir has been on the run for two years, having been declared wanted in Lebanon in 2013 when his followers clashed with the Lebanese army, killing at least 18 soldiers.
He gained notoriety as a “a self-proclaimed defender of Sunni rights” due to his fiery anti-Hezbollah rhetoric and had reportedly been recruiting his followers to join the Islamic State terrorist group, ISIS, in Syria fighting against President Assad’s government.
— Aug 19, 2015 @ 13:25 GMT
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