Troops of the Joint Task Force North-East Operation Hadin Kai have arrested a 15-year-old boy suspected to be involved in the deadly attack that led to the death of a senior military officer in Borno State.
The teenager, identified simply as Tijjani, was reportedly picked up on Sunday while on an errand to buy food and other supplies for members of his insurgent group.
According to military sources, the suspect has been linked to the ambush that resulted in the killing of Brigadier General Oseni Braimah and three other soldiers.
Brigadier General Braimah, who served as the commander of the 29 Task Force Brigade under Operation Hadin Kai, was killed on Thursday when suspected Boko Haram insurgents launched a fierce assault on a military base.
In a video circulating online, Tijjani, speaking in Hausa, confirmed he was arrested at Ngamdu in Borno State and admitted to participating in the recent attacks on Benisheik and Ngamdu.
“Before the attack, we came from Jilli and returned there after the attack. I was sent from Jilli yesterday with N850,000 to collect some logistics from Ngamdu, but I was arrested by troops,” the teenage suspect confessed.
Detailing the events leading up to his capture, Tijjani added, “Yesterday, I left other fighters, my colleagues, at Jilli. I don’t know what happened to them there.”
As of the time of reporting, military authorities have yet to issue a formal public statement regarding the arrest or the ongoing operations tracking the remaining members of the insurgent cell in the Jilli axis.
