Police arrest Borno teenagers caught trying to set IDP camp ablaze

Three teenagers identified as Malum Usman, 16; Bulama Bukar, 14; and Rawa Usman, 11, have all landed in police net for conspiring to set ablaze Mara Internally Displaced (IDP) camp in the Mafa local government area of Borno State.

Operatives of Borno Police Command arrested the trio alongside their sponsor Babagana Umar, 40.

It would be recalled that Borno State Commissioner for Information and Internal Security, Prof. Usman Tar, had said some criminals were conspiring with NGOs to burn IDP camps.

The incident came to light when a hunters’ group in Mafa reported to the police that the suspects were caught with matches while trying to set a house ablaze in the IDP camp on Sunday, March 24, 2024, around 10:30 am.

Disclosing the arrest of the suspects, Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Kenneth Nahum Daso said preliminary investigations revealed that Umar, who’s a firewood seller in the Muna garage area of Maiduguri, allegedly contracted the three minors to commit the arson act for a fee of ₦10,000. Although the 40-year-old denied any involvement in the crime and claimed innocence, stating that he was arrested while praying in a mosque.

Umar expressed disbelief at the accusations against him and even offered to swear by the Holy Quran to prove his innocence, but he was not allowed to do so at the time of his arrest.

The case is currently under investigation by the police.

Meanwhile, Borno Police also arrested one suspect in connection with a hacked body that was buried in a shallow grave in the Jiddari-Polo area of Maiduguri, the state capital.