Ten Ghanaians said to have joined IS
The Daily Guide newspaper today reports that about 10 Ghanaian Muslim youth have gone to join the so-called Islamic State (IS).
The newspaper, identified one as a 25-year-old graduate of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) named Nazir Nortei Alema. The other nine who belong to a Whatsapp group which has now been deactivated are unnamed.
Alema is said to have graduated with a degree in Geography and Rural Development.
Quoting members of his family, the father and brother reportedly confirmed with Whatsapp messages that the younger Alema has indeed gone to join IS.
The newspaper cited the father, Abdul Latif Alema as saying the son had earlier sent a Whatsapp message to the family, indicating that he was on his way to Prestea from where he would proceed to Takoradi on an official assignment.
But the brother Kabiru Alema, was quoted as saying: “He said that he had lied to us when he said he was on his way to Prestea and Takoradi but that the truth is that he was on his way to join the ISIS.”
The newspaper published the following extracts from Nazir’s Whatsapp message, received by the brother: “Pray for me, for I will never forget you in my prayer and it’s my hope and prayer that we meet again if not in this world then in Jannah (paradise). I love you all. May Allah grant us understanding and guide us all to the straight path. Asalaamu alaikum.”
“I told you a lie to please my Allah. The deception was to go do some research work in far away Prestea while the main idea was to move far away from you all to the Islamic State (IS). I know it might sound kind of crazy for you but your son really had to take this bold step to get out of the corrupt system of Ghana which has democracy first on its list.”
According to the Daily Guide, Kabiru had mentioned the name of a certain Badharn Diallo, a Guinean who studied at the University of Ghana, Legon and later joined IS five months ago, as being responsible for the recruitment of the Ghanaians.
Kabiru, the newspaper report said, mentioned the name of a certain Abubakar Mohammed aka Brother, also a graduate of the KNUST from a popular family in Cowlane, a suburb of Accra near the General Post Office, who is one of those suspected to have also joined the IS.
Kabiru said, “The youth who have fallen prey to the ISIS craze belong to the same Whatsapp group on which they share extreme ideas about Islam.”
Meanwhile, a friend of Kabiru’s on Facebook, writes; “My bro is too intelligent to be brainwashed. I’m hopeful he’s gonna come back home safely when he realises they don’t practice what they preach.”
And Kabiru himself writes on his Facebook timeline on August 18, 2015 “Ya Allah, I’m in State of total confusion and I need your intervention. Ameen.” An indication probably of the pain of losing his younger brother to IS.
Ghana security officials contacted by ghanabusinessnews.com on the subject have however declined to speak.
By Emmanuel K. Dogbevi