The Defense Headquarters in Abuja has revealed how Nigerian
military men gained entrance into the home of a Boko Haram kingpin reportedly
killed during a shootout in Kaduna, the capital of Kaduna State on Sunday, 6
July, 2014.
Sahara Reporters, quoting a senior military officer, stated
that the security operatives had to dig a tunnel to gain entry into the home of
the Boko Haram kingpin before he was killed in an exchange of gunfire at his
home located in the Kinkinau area of Kaduna town.
According to the report, the military officer disclosed that
the Islamist kingpin and a few lower level terrorists had fled Boko Haram’s
violence-prone northeast to different locations before arriving in Kaduna where
they resettled with their families.
The rented house of the killed Boko Haram leader
It was gathered that terrorist kingpin and his cohorts had
adapted themselves into their community in Kaduna before they were discovered
and their eventual death.
The unnamed source informed that the deceased had started
gathering guns and explosives-manufacturing ingredients before security agents
traced them to their location based on vital information revealed by Boko Haram
militants under military detention.
The officer added that Nigerian troops fighting Boko Haram
deserved commendation instead of unjustifiable criticism.
While pointing to the house where the late Islamist
terrorist kingpin was found and killed, the military source said: “You can now
see the sacrifice our troops are making for the preservation of Nigeria’s
sovereignty and territory. The terrorists were hiding here for months until our
breakthrough."
The officer added: “Our soldiers had to dig a hole to enter
the house as you can see. The [Boko Harm] men gave our soldiers a tough time,
but we triumphed over them.”
While declining to answer some questions thrown at him, the
source stated: “I have brought you here from Abuja to see what we have
done, because the men we killed here had their hands in several severe attacks
carried out by [Boko Haram] in the northeast and other parts of the North.
"Just imagine what they would have done in Kaduna and
surrounding areas if they were able to establish a footing here.”
The officer pointed out that the Nigerian Army was making
greater use of intelligence gathering and deploying other innovative methods in
its campaign to combat the attacks of Boko Haram insurgents.
Meanwhile, the Nation reports that several school
certificates and SIM cards were recovered from the building where the Boko Haram
suspect was captured.
According to the report, when newsmen visited the scene
there were blood stains and several bullet holes on the wall and ceiling.
Though there has been no official statement from either the
Army or the police about the whereabouts of the family of the late terrorist,
but there is speculation that his family members moved out of the house after
he was killed.
It was gathered that the magnitude of exchange of fire
between the terrorists and the soldiers almost caused crisis between the police
and soldiers because the police were not aware of the operation.
One of the residents in the area said: “We never knew that
the man was a member of the organisation. A lot of certificates belonging to
their members and a large number of SIM cards were recovered from the house.
“When we heard the gunshots, we thought that it was robbers
and so we called the police. The police headed to the place. When the soldiers
heard the siren, they quickly identified themselves. A blood fight was
prevented because the police would have engaged them thinking they were
robbers.”
The District Head of Ungwan Muazu, Aliyu Idris, called on
landlords to be security conscious and ensure the true identity of their
tenants.
It could be recalled that a female informant of the
Boko Haram sect, Hafsat Bako, was also reportedly captured recently by the
Nigerian military.
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