Ondo police parade another suspected Boko Haram member

A suspected member of the Boko Haram sect, Mohammed Bashir, who was arrested by men of the Ondo State Police Command on Sunday, has said that he fled Maiduguri, Borno State to Nasarawa State, before coming to Ondo State because of military bombardment.

Bashir, who revealed this at the police headquarters in Akure, the Ondo State capital, on Tuesday, also stated that he was arrested by the men of the state police command in Isua-Akoko, in Akoko South East Local Government Area, while trying to find something to eat.

According to him, he and others decided to leave their base in Maiduguri, Borno State, after the military bombardment and regrouped in Isua to plan their next line of action before he was arrested by the police.

Bashir, 20, who hailed from Nasarawa State, said he was a cattle herder before joining the dreaded group some eight months ago, saying he was recruited by some members of the group who met him in the bush with his cows.

He said his father sent him out of his house after suspecting he had joined the group because of his unusual quietness.

The suspected Boko Haram member, however, confessed to have killed two people, saying the weapons his group used were supplied by a farmer, and the weapons were always returned after each operation.

Speaking on how members of the group could be identified, Bashir said that their ears are usually pierced, admitting that his immediate younger brother also belonged to the group.

He said “when Maiduguri was too hot for us, we ran to Nasarawa State last month, but we left on Saturday to the South-West to hide and regroup. Other members of the group are now at large.”