Two council officials with alleged links with Boko Haram insurgents have been arrested in Borno State.
They are Alhaji Shettima Lawan, chairman of Mafa Local Government and the Vice chairman of Kaga local government also in the state.
The Nigerian Army on Wednesday confirmed the arrest of the two men for alleged links with the Boko Haram terrorists.
Maj.- Gen. Lucky Irabor, The Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, made the confirmation during a news conference at the headquarters of the 7 Division, Nigerian Army, Maiduguri.
“All I can say is that the Chairman is a big supporter of Boko Haram.
“We heard that he harboured Boko Haram members along with his father. That he kept the Boko Haram members because the father begged him to do so.
“The Chairman was in the habit of accommodating people that had fled from the bush.
“At some point he was valuable to us being with the Civilian JTF to fight Boko Haram. But that does not mean we cannot investigate him for a crime especially one like this.
“We have also arrested the Vice Chairman of Kaga Local Government and he is undergoing interrogation,” Irabor said.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Army on Wednesday said it had killed three female suicide bombers when they tried to ram into troops along Dutse area in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno.
The Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj.- Gen. Lucky Irabor, confirmed the incident to newsmen in Maiduguri.
Irabor said the three female suicide bombers were intercepted following an intelligence report on their going toward Limankara in Gwoza Council.
“Just this morning, we intercepted the bombers but the three of them resisted and tried to ram into our troops. And of course, we had no choice but to open fire on them,” he said.
He explained that the Nigerian troops and their Cameroonian counterparts had been making remarkable progress and recoveries in Ngwoshe axis and Gwoza hills.
“Our troops and those of the Cameroon Republic have been recording tremendous successes in flushing out remnants of the Boko Haram terrorists in that axis.
“And of course during the operation, we discovered stockpile of arms and ammunitions.
“We also intercepted 30 cows at Cashew plantation here in Maiduguri capital.
“We also arrested one of the most wanted Boko Haram terrorists, number 164 on our list,” the commander added.
