The Defense Headquarters in Abuja has revealed how Nigerian military men gained entrance into the home of a Boko Haram kingpin reportedly killed during a shootout in Kaduna, the capital of Kaduna State on Sunday, 6 July, 2014.
Sahara Reporters, quoting a senior military officer, stated that the security operatives had to dig a tunnel to gain entry into the home of the Boko Haram kingpin before he was killed in an exchange of gunfire at his home located in the Kinkinau area of Kaduna town.
According to the report, the military officer disclosed that the Islamist kingpin and a few lower level terrorists had fled Boko Haram’s violence-prone northeast to different locations before arriving in Kaduna where they resettled with their families.
It was gathered that terrorist kingpin and his cohorts had adapted themselves into their community in Kaduna before they were discovered and their eventual death.
The unnamed source informed that the deceased had started gathering guns and explosives-manufacturing ingredients before security agents traced them to their location based on vital information revealed by Boko Haram militants under military detention.
The officer added that Nigerian troops fighting Boko Haram deserved commendation instead of unjustifiable criticism.
While pointing to the house where the late Islamist terrorist kingpin was found and killed, the military source said: “You can now see the sacrifice our troops are making for the preservation of Nigeria’s sovereignty and territory. The terrorists were hiding here for months until our breakthrough."
The officer added: “Our soldiers had to dig a hole to enter the house as you can see. The [Boko Harm] men gave our soldiers a tough time, but we triumphed over them.”
While declining to answer some questions thrown at him, the source stated: “I have brought you here from Abuja to see what we have done, because the men we killed here had their hands in several severe attacks carried out by [Boko Haram] in the northeast and other parts of the North.
"Just imagine what they would have done in Kaduna and surrounding areas if they were able to establish a footing here.”
The officer pointed out that the Nigerian Army was making greater use of intelligence gathering and deploying other innovative methods in its campaign to combat the attacks of Boko Haram insurgents.
Meanwhile, the Nation reports that several school certificates and SIM cards were recovered from the building where the Boko Haram suspect was captured.
According to the report, when newsmen visited the scene there were blood stains and several bullet holes on the wall and ceiling.
Though there has been no official statement from either the Army or the police about the whereabouts of the family of the late terrorist, but there is speculation that his family members moved out of the house after he was killed.
It was gathered that the magnitude of exchange of fire between the terrorists and the soldiers almost caused crisis between the police and soldiers because the police were not aware of the operation.
One of the residents in the area said: “We never knew that the man was a member of the organisation. A lot of certificates belonging to their members and a large number of SIM cards were recovered from the house.
“When we heard the gunshots, we thought that it was robbers and so we called the police. The police headed to the place. When the soldiers heard the siren, they quickly identified themselves. A blood fight was prevented because the police would have engaged them thinking they were robbers.”
The District Head of Ungwan Muazu, Aliyu Idris, called on landlords to be security conscious and ensure the true identity of their tenants.
It could be recalled that a female informant of the Boko Haram sect, Hafsat Bako, was also reportedly captured recently by the Nigerian military.
No comments:
Post a Comment