Nigerian military clears Nigerien camel rearer first reported as Moroccan ISIS suspect

In a statement issued on Thursday, the acting spokesperson for Operation Hadin Kai, Mohammed Goni, identified the man as Aboubakar Muhammad Zein-Nur, also known as Houdairi, and said he was detained during military operations but has now been cleared after intelligence assessments and investigations.

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.

Earlier claims

According to the 14 July report, the suspect was arrested during exploitation operations after troops repelled an attempted ISWAP attack on Cross Kauwa in Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State.

Citing unnamed security sources, the report claimed the suspect had been identified through forensic analysis of video footage recovered from a camcorder allegedly belonging to an ISWAP cameraman killed during the failed assault on 12 July.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that the military said it analysed the footage in the camcorder and linked the attack to four senior ISWAP commanders working alongside three foreign terrorist facilitators, including a Palestinian trainer and a Moroccan described as a medical doctor.

The 14 July report further alleged that the man had been flown aboard a Nigerian Air Force helicopter to a secure military facility for intensive interrogation over suspected links to ISIS’s transnational network.

The report described the arrest as a “major intelligence breakthrough” capable of exposing the international connections of terrorist groups operating in the Lake Chad Basin.

Military clarification

In Thursday’s statement, however, Mr Goni presented a markedly different account.

He confirmed that troops of the 68 Battalion intercepted the individual during follow-up operations after the Cross Kauwa attack, but said he was taken into custody strictly in accordance with operational procedures because terrorist groups often exploit border corridors in the Lake Chad region for movement and logistics.

He identified the man as a resident of Shattu Anguba Village in Bosso, Republic of Niger, who engages in camel rearing beyond the River Komadougou.

“Comprehensive intelligence assessments and other investigative processes did not establish that the individual has any affiliation to any known terrorist group,” Mr Goni said.

He added that the military has “consequently cleared the individual of any terrorist links.”

Mr Goni said the case demonstrates the practice of profiling and screening persons intercepted under suspicious circumstances during military operations before determining whether they are linked to insurgent groups.

He also reaffirmed the military’s commitment to professionalism, respect for human rights and the rule of law while prosecuting the counter-insurgency campaign.

Information warfare

The latest clarification effectively overturns the central claim contained in the 14 July report, which identified the man as a suspected Moroccan ISIS operative.

While the military has now publicly announced the outcome of its investigation, it did not issue an official statement following the original allegation. Instead, the earlier account emerged from a report based entirely on unnamed security sources and was amplified by multiple media outlets.

This adds to a broader debate among conflict researchers, analysts and journalists over the role of unofficial military narratives and propaganda in Nigeria’s counter-insurgency campaign.

On Wednesday, the military issued a statement identifying the ISWAP cameraman allegedly killed during the 12 July attack as Abu Salim al-Barnawi. The statement included screenshots from a viral video, which the military said showed the slain cameraman.

However, a fact-check by this newspaper found that the video predates the attack by seven years. Despite the findings, the military has neither withdrawn the claim nor provided additional evidence or a detailed explanation to substantiate its assertion.