Wanted Boko Haram chieftain, five others arrested in Lagos

• Military kills 16, nabs two in Borno
• Flood overrun communities in Maiduguri, environs

A senior member of the Boko Haram sect, on the wanted list of the military has been arrested in a Lagos church (names withheld) by a local vigilante group (civilian JTF) at the weekend.

Also arrested were five other suspects, picked up at different spots in the state.

It was gathered that the suspects identities allegedly matched those on the list of 100 most wanted terrorists released by the military recently.

Head of the vigilante group, the Mai-Kanuribe of Lagos and the Seriki Hausawa of Ijora Kingdom, Alhaji Mustapha Mohammed said at a conference yesterday in Ijora that five of the suspects were arrested on Friday.

He said the sixth suspect Adam, was arrested in a church in FESTAC town, where he was hiding.

According to him, until his arrest, Adam was hiding inside an abandoned 40-feet container inside the church.

Mohammed identified the other five suspects as Ibrahim Ali, Abubakar Ahmed, Goigoi Kamsalem, Ibrahim Mohammed and Babagana Blam Ali.

He said while Abubakar Ahmed, Goigoi Kamsalem and Ibrahim Mohammed hail from Baga Local Government council of Bornu, Ibrahim Ali hails from Bama Local, while Babagana Blam Ali hails from Konduga Local Government council of Bornu State.

He added that Ibrahim Ali and Babagana Blam Ali were arrested in their hideouts at Isheri area of Berger tollgate.

According to him, Abubakar Ahmed, Goigoi Kamsalem and Ibrahim Mohammed were arrested in the Victoria Island area of the metropolis where they were hiding in their friend’s house.

He said the suspects were looking unkempt with signs of starvation.

According to him, the suspected are being transported to Bornu State where they are wanted by the military.

“Adam is one of the top most wanted Boko Haram members on the wanted list of the military. We got intelligence report that Adam was hiding inside an abandoned 40-feet container in church premises. It was the security man attached to the church that hid him inside the container.”

“When we arrived the church premises looking for him, the security man attached to the church was not around then. The container was locked from the outside with a padlock.

“The pastor of the church was embarrassed to see us, but by the time we explained our mission to him, he in company with others gave us the go ahead and by the time we broke open the padlock, Adam was hiding in the far corner of the container. As soon as the Pastor sighted the suspect, he started singing praises,” he added.

In a related development, troops of the 3 Battalion of Nigerian Army have killed 16 Boko Haram terrorists and arrested two others at the weekend in an ambush at Rann in Kala/Balge Council areas of Borno State.

Director of Army Public Relations, Col. Sani Usman, who disclosed this yesterday in a statement to newsmen in Maiduguri, said in the fierce gun battle with the terrorists, two soldiers lost their lives while five others sustained injuries.

Meanwhile, over a dozen communities in Maiduguri metropolis have been flooded, following a heavy downpour that lasted for four hours on Saturday.