Soldiers attached to the 144
Battalion of the Nigerian Army in Abia State on Monday 16th June announced the
seizure of 486 suspected members of the terrorist Boko Haram
who were traveling in a convoy of 33 buses.
Their detention took place few
hours before security personnel foiled an attempt to blow
up a church in Imo State on Sunday morning.
The vehicles
conveying the suspected Boko Haram members were intercepted between Aro
Ngwa and Imo Gate along the Enugu- Port Harcourt expressway in Abia
State. Eight of those detained are believed to be females.
Briefing
newsmen at the Headquarters of the 144 Battalion of the Army, Asa where
the suspects are being detained, alongside the Chief Press Secretary to
the Governor, Mr. Charles Ajunwa and Commander of the military base,
Lieutenant Colonel Rasheed Omolori, the Commissioner for Information and
Strategy, Abia State, Dr. Eze Chikamnayo, explained that two buses
alongside their occupants managed to escape.
The suspects who were believed
to be from different parts of northern Nigeria were intercepted around
3am on Sunday. Their ages ranges from 16 to 24 years. They said they
were migrating in search of jobs but were unable to say where exactly
they were headed fueling suspicions. They were being moved to various
locations in Eastern Nigeria as members of a sleeper cell of the Boko
Haram.
Dr. Chikamnayo said the Army and other security agencies in
the state were working to unravel the actual mission of the suspects
and those behind the movement.
Lt. Colonel Omolori said he had briefed the Defence Headquarters on the arrests.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Kindly leave a comment below