The Boko Haram leader said they now see the youth as their enemies.

A spokesperson for the Boko Haram, Abu Zinnira, has said his group will launch a manhunt for youth in Borno and Yobe states who partake in vigilante activities to identify and arrest members of the terrorist group.

Some youth in both states have formed vigilante groups to assist the Nigerian military to identify and arrest the terrorists in the towns. Their activities have been commended by the presidency and the military; but has now put them in a battle with the terrorists.

Abu Zinnira said his group is also waging a bloody war against the government of Borno and Yobe States in reaction to the massive arrest of their members by youth in the states.

The terrorists’ spokesman, stated these in a statement written in Hausa and emailed to journalists.

He added that they are waging a war against the Nigerian state in order to establish a Sharia legal system. He said while they maintain their hostility against the police, soldiers, politicians and other symbols of authority, they have now added the youth in these states to their kill-list.

“We have established that the youth in Borno and Yobe states are now against our course. They have connived with security operatives and are actively supporting the government of Nigeria in its war against us. We have also resolved to fight back,” he said.

Some members of the youth groups, who did not want their identity disclosed for security reasons, have also vowed to continue their fight against the Boko Haram insurgents in Maiduguri, saying that they will not be deterred from carrying out their mission and there will be no going back.

Borno and Yobe, as well as Adamawa, are under emergency rule with heavy deployment of soldiers by the federal government. This has, however, not stopped the terrorists who have killed dozens of people in separate attacks in the states.