Six suspected Boko Haram members arrested in Lagos

Lagos— Six suspected members of the Boko
Haram sect were weekend apprehended by a
Civilian Joint Task Force at different locations in
Lagos.
The suspects, who all confessed to be indigenes
of Borno State, disclosed that they fled Bama,
Baga and Konduga local government council
areas of Borno State, following the offensive of
military operatives against insurgents in the
state.
They gave their identities as Ibrahim Ali,
Abubakar Ahmed, Babagana Blam Ali, Goigoi
Kamsalem, Ibrahim Mohammed and Adams.
Briefing journalists on how they were arrested,
Head of the civilian Joint Task Force, the Mai-
Kanuribe of Lagos and Seriki Hausawa of Ijora
Kingdom, Alhaji Mustapha Mohammed, revealed
that Ibrahim Ali and Babagana Blam Ali, who hail
from Bama and Konduga local government areas
respectively, were arrested at Isheri-Ojodu
Berger, while Goigoi Kamsalem, Ibrahim
Mohammed both from Bama and Abubakar
Ahmed of Baga council areas, were apprehended
at a hideout in Victoria Island.
The sixth suspect, Adam according to him, was
arrested close to a church in Festac Town.
Mustapha hinted that his group was spread
across 57 local government areas in Lagos and
Ogun states and had been in operation since five
years, with the aim of nipping activities of Boko
Haram sect in both states in the bud.
According to him, his group had made several
arrests in the past, with the suspects handed
over to Department of State Service, DSS, the
Police with some transferred to Maiduguri, Bornu
State, saying that a patrol van was donated to
his group by the DSS , to enhance its operation.
Mustapha informed that arrests were made
based on intelligence.
He said “One of their leaders that was hiding at
a church in FESTAC town was arrested and
handed over to security agents. You know we
are from Borno State where these people also
hail from and we know their communities. Our
people back home do monitor them, and once
they leave Maiduguri, we would be alerted so
that we can be on the lookout.
“Once they arrive any community in Lagos, our
members are always on ground to fish them out
base on intelligence report and once they are
arrested, we hand them over to security agencies
for further investigation and prosecution”, the
traditional head of the Kanuris in Lagos
explained”.
The six suspects arrested according to him, were
moved to Borno State yesterday morning before
the arrival of journalists, hinting that their
movement was based on the directive of security
operatives.