Following his arrest by troops of Operation Hadin Kai, suspected Boko Haram operative Ibrahim Mohammed admitted his role in the Gamboru Market bombing, stating he was paid ₦100,000 by group commanders.
Recall, five worshippers were killed and 35 others injured when a suicide bomber detonated an improvised explosive device (IED) at the Gamboru Market Mosque in Maiduguri on Wednesday, December 24.
However, troops of Operation Hadin Kai (OHK) have captured the suspects behind the recent blast. One of the suspects, Mohammed, is now cooperating with authorities, identifying his ringleaders as Adamu and Abubakar as the masterminds of the operation.
Zagazola Makama, a counter insurgency analyst said; Mohammed confirmed the operation was orchestrated under the directive of Boko Haram commanders operating between Adamawa state and the Mandara mountains.
“We came after Zuhur and Asr prayers when the mosque was empty. We entered pretending to pray. My colleague was digging to plant the IED in the middle of the mosque while I was digging by the side,” he said.
Mohammed bombed the mosque, only to return moments later posing as a first responder to help evacuate the dead and wounded.
“After the mission, I proceeded to Yobe for another assignment, to carry out recce on military positions and hunters’ groups for possible attacks on new recruits,” he said.
“I was paid money ranging from N70,000 to N100,000 per mission.”
In a similar vein, Mohammed was also linked to a multi-faction terror network including JAS, Ansaru, and JNIM—confessed to his role in a cell tasked with destabilizing the North-East.
Mohammed said he was part of larger terror cell tasked with multiple attacks across the north-east by factions of Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS), Ansaru, and Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM).
Gallant troops of Operation Hadin Kai, supported by local hunters, successfully arrested a suspect in Damaturu on Monday December 29, following a targeted raid.
The suspect’s attempt to blend into a crowd of Almajirai backfired when alert security officers spotted the anomaly, leading to his swift identification.
Subsequent interrogation uncovered a high-profile conspiracy to attack the Izala Mosque at Tashan Joni; however, the suspect admitted the mission failed due to the military’s intensified security measures in the region.
