Nigerian troops in Kano arrested a suspected leading Boko Haram militant in a raid Friday, a day after the restive city where the Islamist group is based was rocked by blasts and gunfire.
“We had an operation this morning… at a Boko Haram hideout. We made some arrests but details will be given later,” Kano military spokesman Lieutenant Iweha Ikedichi told AFP.
A security source involved in the raid in the Farawa neighbourhood of Kano, the largest city in the north, said a suspected high-profile member of the group, Suleiman Mohammed, was arrested along with his wife and five children. Mohammed is said to be from Ogbomosho in Oyo state.
“We recovered three pistols, a rifle, 1,000 rounds of ammunition and 10 IEDs (improvised explosive devices),” the source said, adding that the house was destroyed during the raid.
Friday’s raid came a day after several explosions and gunfire rocked the restive northeastern city of Maiduguri where Boko Haram has its base.
“In the late hours we had two explosions followed by sporadic gunshots. I don’t have any further information now on casualties,” a security official who did not want to be named told AFP.
He said the attack happened near a church in an area where a mosque owned by Boko Haram was razed during a 2009 crackdown on the group.
AFP saw truckloads of soldiers deployed to the area on Friday.
The military and local residents reported a third blast on Thursday in a different area of the city.
“There was a blast in an open field by the riverside. We still don’t know who the target was but nobody was hurt,” military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa told AFP.
Residents said it happened near a football field where a match was being played and caused people to flee.
Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, has seen some of the worst violence blamed on the extremist sect, which has focused its attacks on the mainly Muslim north.
Boko Haram’s increasingly bloody insurgency has claimed more than 1,000 lives since mid-2009.
na wao,wat amut of moni can dey promise him wen dey’r killin his fellow yoruba,come to north nd c wat dey’r doin to muslim yoruba
Good job! But more of them are still hiding and they also need to be arrested, die by firing squad including their family members.
Wawa,big fool,uselex islamist idiot,no wonder we are been humiliated.So dis bastard have d got 2b betraying his brothers 4d sake of islamiming nigeria.e’no go beta for all thier generation.
Kano people are trying, providing information to security, unlike people of Maiduguri who keep their mouth shut.
And nw to u Yoruba, why no comment, afta insulting Hausas always?
That man is a disgrace to d entire yoruba race, and he shall die by firing squad.
The man must be killed because is ready to implicate more of yoruba people and is a disgrace to yoruba land, not withstanding wot dis stupid people were doing to yoruba people in d north. So, dis bastard must be given life imprisonment
Wonders shall never end..if its another tribe,they wont let us hear word..now here is a clear example of ur trademark betrayal in action..wel,i’ve always said all muslims are terrorists,wheather hausas or yorubas.fear them
Islams are very wicked n heartles irrespective of d tribe…. No human feeling in dem… I wonder watz in dia quaran…
if any terrorist is caught, he should b kill instantly,no need to imprison him. B4 we come here say e member don come break prison like prison break.
nawa 4 tubebe pup God go de catch demo 1by 1 dis is just starting till 5od arr arrest den finish useless pup berebe tubebe ororiburuku
Because Nigerian newspapers/journalists reported one Mallam Suleiman Abubakar to come from Ogbomosho, them he must be a Yoruba man. This is lazy man’s logic. What if Abubakar’s family just went to Ogbomosho to do kola business for 10yrs and returned to his native Kano and has been a boko haram there for last 40yrs – can you still call Suleiman a Yoruba man? This shows that where you are resident for a longer time influences you more than your family origin. What you believe in and practice is more important in tracking criminality than family/tribe tree. A terrorist is more likely to be a religious fanatic – muslim, christian, jew, anarchist, etc than any other signature.
He is reportedly Yoruba & so what? Did anyone care 2 knw if he went there yesterday 2 become BH or whether he’s bn there all his life? Whatever d case it is stil d problem islamic fanatism has given. Ppl shld stop Yorubanizing BH on some illogical rationale.
In d absent of sentiment, weda yoruba, igbo or hausa, as far as u alowd ursef 2 b use 2 comit crime(s) against humanity, u are automaticaly entitled 2 b killed.
This is ridiculous…..irrespective of his tride, i dn’t give a fuck 2 this useless motherfucker..he was bread nd fed in d north with those gud 4 nufin BH.. So, bh mentality ‘ve dominated his whole mind nd blood.. May b he never even come 2 Yoruba land 4 once,may b nah my papa tell me sey i b yoruba..this just a tip of an iceberge all of u ‘ll be aprehended nd born 2 harsh as u do 2 ur co-Nigeria.
Dere’s no comment any more a guy called(Terry) ve said much dat wat do dey blv in dia quran cos dey re heartless nd hard for dem to 4giv… Too bad of muslim in general.
He z jst a yoruba, neglet d tribe nd face d fact dat wat ever z sowed z u re goN 2 riped. Jst in a tickle of our eyes, our country will b takN over by 1 tribe in the country.
@Hotman, you are the most useless dumbfull i have come across, from the first instance a YORUBA man does not believe in fighting for the sake of religion, he may fight for the sake of Yoruba race or any other reason, but not religion. As long as I am concern this man is on his own, his membership in BH to me is as good as cultism.
Any1 in BH is not a true Muslim. Thank God he was arrested and by the Grace of God more revelation will come to prove that the so called BH does not constitute people fighting for any cause related to Islam other than greed.
And I deer any1 to challenge my statement. I tell this people are on their own using islam as a cover, because they are aware of the sensitivity of religion in Nigeria
What else do u expect frm someone who’s frm a hypocritic betraying tribe.They are too cowardly to use their true identity 2 pursue a course.Alwys hiding unda a disguise 2 commit crimes and scapegoating it on others.That fool must be doing dat 4 money not minding dat his people are also being killed.they accuse others 4 lovin money yet they commit more heinous crimes 4 money.HYPOCRITES!
Terry & Ola you guys are cowards, a shame of your tribes, useless to humanity,a disgrace to the family. What does this has to do with Qur’an mind your stink mouth cos i will be BH myself to get rid of you scumbags.