THE Nigerian Army, on Wednesday, confirmed the arrest of chairman of Mafa Local Government Area of Borno State, Alhaji Shettima Lawan, over his link with Boko Haram terrorists, adding that the chairman is currently being investigated.
The army also arrested vice chairman of Kaga Local Government Area of the state.
Major-General Lucky Irabor, Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, made the confirmation during a news conference at the headquarters of the 7 Division, Nigerian Army, Maiduguri.
“All I can say is that the chairman is a big supporter of Boko Haram. We heard that he, alongside his father, harboured Boko Haram members. He kept the Boko Haram members because his father begged him to do so.
“The chairman was in the habit of accommodating people that had fled from the bush. At some point, he was valuable to us, being with the Civilian JTF to fight Boko Haram. But that does not mean we cannot investigate him for a crime, especially one like this.
“We have also arrested the vice chairman of Kaga Local Government Area of the state and he is undergoing interrogation,” Irabor said.
He also disclosed that about 1,400 suspects had been mopped up at the fringes of Sambisa forest within the last one week.
Major-General Irabor said 10 of them, who confessed to be real Boko Haram suspects, had started debriefing operations to make them fit to return to the society.
“The operation continues on the trail of Abubakar Shekau and others who had fled through Dumu and Bulajumta, Malabo, Tula and many other hamlets in the area.
“We found a mini camp, assembled the villagers and carried out a quick profiling, got one who was fond of giving food to the insurgents. Also, in the period under review, troops arrested one Rabiu at Bajoga in Gombe State who confessed to being with Shekau for four years.
“Again, troops, in conjunction with the Department of State Services (DSS), trailed one Mohammed, another accomplice. The two are now in the custody of DSS,” he revealed.
Towards the end of the news conference, the army boss paraded the 10 repentant insurgents who confessed to have been members of the Boko Haram.
The 10 repentant insurgents included a teenager and a man almost in his 60s.
One Joseph David, who said he was named Ibrahim by his fellow insurgents, told newsmen that he regretted participating in the atrocities and called on his colleagues to abandon the camp of Shekau and return to their families in the cities.
He said their former leader had mis-advised them, saying he wanted them to come back to their right thinking behaviour because what they were still doing inside Sambisa was not religion.
“What they are doing is devilish and they should come out of it,” he advised.
Irabor said at least four of them cooling their heels in the cells were from the Maman Nur faction, while six were from Shekau, the original leader of the group.
The Theatre Commander called on Nigerians to do all they could to uphold the peace which was a priced commodity at this crucial time.