Insurgency: Police arrest fleeing suspected Boko Haram member

The FCT Police Command said it had arrested a fleeing suspected Boko Haram member, Seth Yakubu, 20, in Gwako area of Gwagwalada Area Council.

The FCT Commissioner of Police, Musa Kimo, who made the disclosure at a news conference, said the suspect was arrested on Sunday after a tip-off on his suspicious behaviour in the village.

He said the suspect was arrested after he was found in a suspicious manner in the village by the villagers who alerted the police.

Kimo said: “This young man, Seth Yakubu, from Obi Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, yesterday at 1130 hrs at Gwako Village in Gwagawalada was found in a suspicious manner, the police was alerted and he was arrested.”

Kimo said the suspect, who confessed to his membership of the Boko Haram group, escaped to the village from the Sambisa forest after being dislodged by the military.

He said: “He further stated that he left Maiduguri on Friday and arrived Gwako village on Saturday at about 10pm to conceal his identity and seek refuge.”

The commissioner said aside from being the second-in-command in his unit, the suspect confessed to have actively participated in several deadly attacks by the group.

Kimo said the suspect said he was lured to join the group in October 2016 with a promise of an automatic enlistment into the Nigerian Army.

He advised community leaders to guard against harbouring strangers, especially those without clear mission.

Kimo also enjoined residents and its environs to be vigilant and always report any strange and suspicious persons to the police.

He said: “Upon the identification of any strange face in a community, the nearest police formation can be alerted or the FCT police command emergency help-lines.”

The commissioner described the arrest as a renaissance of community policing, being canvassed by the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris.

He said that the suspect would be arraigned in court after completion of investigation.

Yakubu who spoke to newsmen, said that he was given a form to fill for enlistment into the Nigerian Army.

He said that he was taken to Zaria for a military training after which he was given a substance that would change his mind.

Yakubu said: “After giving us that thing they told us that we are not members of the Nigerian Army but we are going to help the Boko Haram to fight the Nigerian Army to convert Nigeria into an Islamic country.”

The Police Command in Kano State had on July 23 arrested five suspected Boko Haram members at Gayawa village of Ungogo Local Government Area of the state.