PHOTOS: BOKO HARAM KINGPIN JOHN TRANKIL HAS BEEN CAPTURED ALIVE

Troops of the 7 Division Garrison Nigerian Army in Operation LAFIYA DOLE, yesterday made a remarkable progress in the war against insurgency by arresting a Boko Haram kingpin, Mr John Trankil, at Kasuwar Shanu in Maiduguri metropolis.

 

A statement made available to DAILY POST by Army Spokesperson, Colonel Sani Kukasheka Usman and signed by Colonel Tukur Ismail Gusau, Media Coordinator Operation LAFIYA DOLE, says preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect had confessed that 9 of them were sneaked into Maiduguri, armed with AK 47 assault rifle each and a Hilux vehicle laden with 20 Improvised Explosive Devices, IED, meant to be detonated at some selected targets in the city.

The statement further affirmed that, ”The Theatre Commander, operation LAFIYA DOLE, Major General Yusha’u Mahmood Abubakar, commended the efforts of the troops and renewed call for the troops and the public to be more vigilant and security conscious, particularly at all check points, markets, worship centres, motor parks and schools.”

It was further divulged that, ”troops of 21 Brigade Nigerian Army, while on offensive operations on Boko Haram terrorists location, with the support from the Nigerian Airforce discovered and destroyed the terrorists’ Improvised Explosive Device (IED) and Rocket making factory along Bama-Gonin Kurmi within the outskirts of Bama town, Borno State.

Items recovered from the raid, according to the statement, include gas cylinders, welding machine, pipes and poles. Others include locally made rocket shells,large quantity of assorted chemicals, unprimed IEDs and various technical and laboratory equipment suspected to be stolen from schools’ laboratories around Bama before they were dislodged from the area.