The Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Col. Sani Usman, said on Tuesday that troops had arrested a financier of the Boko Haram insurgents in Borno State.
Usman said in a statement that that the man, identified as Mohammed Maina, was arrested in Bama with N1m cash on him.
He said that the suspect was also a supplier of kola nuts and other stimulants to the insurgents.
The Army spokesman said that the suspect, a native of Shuari Village in Bama Local Government Area, might have been collecting monetary contributions from Boko Haram sympathisers along the Maiduguri-Dikwa-Kulli axis of the state.
“In a related development, troops have also intercepted and arrested a suspected Boko Haram financier and stimulants dealer, Mohammed Maina, in Bama, Bama Local Government Area of Borno State.
“The suspect, a native of Ngurosoye, came from Shuari village in Bama LGA, and he was arrested with the sum of N1m cash and some items.
“Investigation revealed that Mohammed supplies them kola nuts and other items especially stimulants. He further revealed that kola nuts are in high demand among the terrorists, as the product keeps them active at night.
“It is apparent also that he plies Maiduguri-Dikwa-Kulli axis where he gathers monetary and other material contributions from Boko Haram sympathisers along that axis and send same to the terrorists camps,” the statement read in part.
Usman stated also that the soldiers of the 112 Battalion and some Special Forces carried out a joint raid on Boko Haram’s camps at Bulungwa Naibe in Dikwa Local Government Area of Borno State on Monday and recovered some items from them.
He stated also that several of the insurgents were killed in the operation.
He said that the items recovered from them included “one Buffalo vehicle mounted with an anti-aircraft gun, a rocket-propelled grenade, two machine guns and one sub-machine gun, five AK-47, one Fabrique nationale rifle and two sewing machines used for sewing uniforms by the terrorists.”
Usman also said that soldiers had arrested three suspected collaborators of the Boko Haram insurgents following the arrest of Maina.
Usman said that Maina had been making useful statements which led to the arrest of the three suspected collaborators in Maiduguri.
He gave the names of those arrested as Jikana Alhaji Goni, 29, Alhaji Musa Modu, 37, and Alhaji Aba’ana Na Sule, aged 40, all of Hausari Ward, Maiduguri.
He said that those arrested were being interrogated by the military.
He said, “Please recall that a Boko Haram financier, fund raiser and stimulant supplier, Mohammed Maina, was arrested by troops of 21 Brigade yesterday.”
