Boko Haram Suspect Confesses to Killing 23 in 48 Hours

In a chilling tale, a suspected member of the dreaded Boko Haram sect who was arrested by volunteer armed youths, popularly called Civilian JTF, shocked everyone when he confessed to killing 23 people within 48 hours.

The suspect was arrested by the youths on Tuesday evening at Ngomari ward ‘Bakin Borehole’ in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, and subsequently handed over to the Joint Task Force (JTF) in the state, Operation Restore Order.

In his narration, he revealed that at a point in time, he had slaughtered a village head and police officers whom he felt were against the activities of the sect.

His confession came as some of his comrades in arms, who are in detention signified their intention to embrace amnesty, if offered by the federal government with the aim of helping government to stamp out terrorism in the state.

The suspected Boko Haram member, who was said to have relocated about a year ago to the area where he hired a room and lived discreetly, was smoked out by the Civilian JTF who had known him in his former abode.

A resident of Ngomari, who sought not to be named, told journalists yesterday that the sect member was arrested while trying to fetch water from a borehole.

According to him, the sect member was a resident of Gwange and his arrest was made possible when the youths who went looking for him arrested his younger brother who took them to Ngomari where the suspect was living.

“We were shocked when we heard that Civilian JTF came and arrested a sect member in our area. We have never imagined we could have somebody like that in our area because we have been living peacefully. We were even more shocked when the sect member confessed that he killed 23 people in two days,” the source said. 

Meanwhile, some suspected members of the sect have agreed to collaborate with the federal government to end the orgy of bloodletting caused by the activities of Boko Haram.

Their spokesman, Adam Konto, told members of the Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of Security Challenges in the North, who visited them at their detention site in Maiduguri on Tuesday that if given a second chance, they would assist government to end the crisis.

Konto introduced himself to the Chairman of the committee, Alhaji Kabir Taminu Turaki, as the amir (commander) of the Bayan quarters.

He said he was speaking on behalf of over 50 detained members of the sect and that they are ready not to pick up arms against the nation again.
Konto said: “We pledge to assist the authorities if given a second chance while admitting to our crimes.

“Most of us were brainwashed and recruited into the sect and given dastardly acts to do without our full understanding of what we were doing.”
Another detainee, who identified himself as Babagana Saje, while also expressing his readiness to denounce the sect, said the police should be praised for keeping them alive.

“The police have been treating us fine. We have been allowed to take our bath and have been well fed,” he added.

Turaki, however, told the detainees that their cases would be looked into, adding that “if you are sincere with this information we have gathered, we will bring you into the proposed amnesty agenda.”

In a related development, gunmen were said to have attacked a police station and a police patrol team in Kumo Town, Gombe State, on Tuesday night.
The Hausa Service of the BBC yesterday reported that although the details were still sketchy, a police inspector might have been killed.