Police re-arrest Konduga in Maiduguri, after release from prison

The self-confessed spokesman of the Boko Haram Islamist sect, Ali Sanda Umar Konduga (aka Al-Zawahiri), who was sentenced to three years imprisonment without option of fine and released last week, was rearrested at the residence of Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, by some residents and policemen attached to the Government Reservation Area (GRA) Police Station.

A police officer who pleaded anonymity, said Konduga was identified, beaten and rearrested on Wednesday after sneaking into the senator’s house the third time since last Sunday, September 11, this year.

Konduga, according to family sources, “kept on coming to the senator’s house purposely to apologise to the immediate family for indicting Ndume, who was charged for providing Konduga with politicians’ phone numbers and not disclosing information to authorities under Nigeria’s Terrorism Prevention Act.”

Konduga was arraigned before a Federal High Court, Abuja along with Ndume (representing Borno South and Leader of the Senate), whom Konduga said was sponsoring him in his Boko Haram activities.

Ndume had pleaded not guilty to charges of passing classified information to an unauthorised person and of criminal intimidation.

Investigations by The Guardian also revealed that Konduga, whose father and family had earlier described as mentally unstable, sneaked into Ndume’s GRA residence about 8:00pm last Sunday.

He was said to have insisted on seeing the senator, who was out of the country in Saudi Arabia for this year’s Hajj exercise, to apologise to him.

A police source said yesterday: “When the security guard at the gate accosted Konduga and told him that the senator was not in the house, he requested to see Justice Aisha Ndume, one of the senator’s wives, but was asked to come back the following day.

“Luck, however, ran out on him when he revisited the house on Wednesday at 4:00pm and was identified by some close political associates of Ndume who used to accompany the senator to the Federal High Court in Abuja.”

The police source continued: “Policemen in charge of Government Reservation Area (GRA) Police Station were alerted and they re-arrested Konduga.

“He is now in our custody, while Ndume has been informed about the re-arrest of the suspected Boko Haram terrorist.”

The Guardian learnt that investigation further revealed that Konduga was taken to the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Maiduguri at about 10:00am yesterday to ascertain his mental state.

If found mentally sound, Konduga would be handed over to appropriate authorities by the Police.

When The Guardian visited the hospital, a Police officer who accompanied him declined comments, even as he directed all enquiries to his Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in Maiduguri.

Ndume in a telephone interview yesterday, also confirmed the re-arrest of Konduga by the Police at his residence.

He said he did not have further details as he was presently out of the country for the Hajj in Saudi Arabia.