16 Boko Haram spies and suppliers arrested by troops

The Nigerian Army has arrested 16 persons in Yobe state who were believed to be collaborating with the terror group, Boko Haram.

According to Colonel Dahiru Bako, acting Commander of the 27th military Task Force Brigade in Damaturu, the suspects were arrested in different locations across the state, adding that some of them were rounded up shortly after they had carried out an operation at the outskirts of Damaturu, the state capital.

Parading them before journalists on Tuesday, September 7, Bako informed that two villagers were killed in the insurgents’ attack. He said others were apprehended as collaborators and informants of the islamists.

The Colonel said that the second group of suspects were supplying foodstuff, fuel, cigarettes, intoxicants and other consumables to the insurgents.

Items recovered from them included, 16 kegs of 25-litres of petrol, eight kegs of cooking oil, two bags of cannabis, 10 bags of rice, two bags of sugar and large quantity of assorted drugs.

Others were 12 bags of millet and six bags of potash and 12 bags of fertilizers which the army said it suspected was being used in the production of Improvised Explosive Devices (IED).

Bako reassured that the military and other security agencies were determined to tackle insurgency to its roots.