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ABUJA. — Nigerian security forces have busted a terrorists’ intelligence cell headed by a businessman who purportedly participated actively in the abduction of 279 schoolgirls from Government Secondary School, Chibok in Borno State on April 14.
The Director of Defence Information (DDI), Major-General Chris Olukolade, disclosed this in a statement Monday, saying the suspect had also coordinated many deadly attacks in the northern part of the country.

Olukolade said the man, Babuji Ya’ari, who is also a member of the Youth Vigilante Group popularly known as Civilian JTF, which he uses as cover while remaining an active terrorist, also spearheaded the murder of the Emir of Gwoza.

According to him, the suspect’s main role in the group was to spy and gather information for the terrorist group, Boko Haram.

“Babuji has been coordinating several deadly attacks in Maiduguri since 2011, including the daring attacks on customs and military locations as well as the planting of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in several locations in the town,” he said.

The Defence spokesman said the arrest of the businessman, who is known to deal in tricycles, had also yielded some vital information and facilitated the arrest of other members of the terrorists’ intelligence cell comprising women.

He disclosed that one of them, Hafsat Bako, had earlier escaped to Gombe State to avoid suspicion but was tracked and arrested.

Prior to her arrest, he said Bako had coordinated the payment of other operatives on the payroll of the group. In her confession, she was said to have disclosed that a minimum of 10,000 Naira is paid to each operative depending on the enormity of his or her task. Olukolade further disclosed that another female suspect, Haj Kaka, who doubles as an armourer and a spy for the terrorist group had also been arrested.

“Until their arrest, all the suspects actively operated a terrorists’ intelligence cell in collaboration with others still at large,” he revealed. — This Day