Maiduguri, Nigerian authorities said Friday they had
arrested an alleged high-profile member of Islamist extremist group Boko Haram
at the home of a senator in the violence-torn Nigerian city of Maiduguri.
The statement from a military task force in
Maiduguri did not name the senator and provided few other details. There have
been allegations of links between elements of Boko Haram and local politicians
in the past.
“A high-profile Boko Haram commander, one Shuaibu
Mohammed Bama, who has been on the list of wanted terrorists … was arrested by
task force troops in a serving senator’s house …,” the statement said of the
arrest on Thursday.
“He is in the custody of the (task force) and
assisting in the investigation and has since made startling revelations.”
In November 2011, Nigerian secret police said they
had arrested an alleged Boko Haram spokesman with ties to a member of
parliament. The alleged links however appeared to involve local politics in
Nigeria’s northeast.
Nigerian authorities frequently exaggerate their
efforts in arresting or cracking down on Boko Haram, which has carried out
scores of bombings and shootings.
Violence linked to Boko Haram’s insurgency in
northern and central Nigeria, including killings by security forces, is believed
to have left more than 2,800 people dead since 2009.
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