The Nigerian troops of Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) have arrested a high profile Boko Haram member on wanted list in recent raid operations on the terrorists’ hideouts in parts of the North East.
The Director, Army Public Relations, Brig.-Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday in Abuja.
Nwachukwu said the troops of Sector 2, OPHK, arrested the wanted terrorist, Yawi Modu, along Damboa-Wajiroko road.
He also disclosed that the troops raided the terrorists’ Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) materials hub in Damboa and Gashua Local Government Areas of Borno and Yobe States, respectively, during their operations.
According to him, troops also successfully busted a Urea Fertiliser syndicate known for supplying terrorists with IED materials in a market believed to be the notorious hub for IED materials for BHT/ISWAP.
“These ISWAP criminals facing the reality of obvious depletion are desperately acquiring IED materials to make explosive devices with which to unleash terror on innocent civilians, in a bid to remain relevant and present a posture of potency.
“In the sting operation conducted, a total of 281 (50Kg) bags of Urea were recovered from the warehouses in the market and two notorious distributors were also arrested.
“Recall that Urea fertiliser has been banned by Government because of its use as a major component for manufacturing IED by terrorists.
“The suspects and materials recovered are currently undergoing preliminary investigation,” he said.
Nwachukwu said that the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Faruk Yahaya, had commended the troops for their vigilance and resilience and reassured them of his support to decisively deal with the terrorists.