Chibok Girls’ Abduction: Military Arrests Key Suspect, Babuji Ya’ari

The Special Forces have arrested a top intelligence operative of the Boko Haram sect. The suspect is believed to have spearheaded the abduction of the female students of Government Secondary, Chibok, on April 14, 2014, the Defence Headquarters said in a statement on Monday. The statement by the Director of Defence Information, Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade, named the Boko Haram operative as Babuji Ya’ari, said to be a businessman and leader of a youth vigilance group, popularly known as the Civilian JTF.

Olukolade said Ya’ari also spearheaded the murder of the Emir of Gwoza, Idrissa Timta, who was killed by insurgents at Tesan Alade, along the Biu-Garkida Road on May 30, 2014. He said that Ya’ari used his membership of the Civilian JTF to gather information to aid the activities of the insurgents. He said that the arrested Boko Haram spy chief was responsible for the coordination of several devastating attacks on military formations and the detonation of several bombs in Maiduguri since 2011.

The statement read:

“A terrorists’ intelligence cell headed by a businessman who participated actively in the abduction of schoolgirls in Chibok has been busted by troops. “The man, Babuji Ya’ari, who is also a member of the Youth Vigilante Group, popularly known as Civilian JTF, which he uses as cover while remaining an active terrorist, also spearheaded the murder of the Emir of Gwoza. “His main role in the group is to spy and gather information for the terrorist group.

“Babuji has been coordinating several deadly attacks in Maiduguri since 2011, including the daring attacks on Customs and military locations as well as the planting of IEDs in several locations in the town.”

Olukolade said that the businessman gave the information that led to the arrest of the female members of the cell, including one Hafsat Bako, who was said to have escaped to Gombe State to avoid being arrested but was tracked down by security agents. The Defence Spokesman said that the female Boko Haram member confessed to the coordination of payment for insurgents on the payroll of Boko Haram. According to him, Bako confessed that a minimum of N10,000 was paid to each of the operatives, depending on the weight of the task assigned to them.

Olukolade also said that the Special Forces were holding another female member of the sect, Haj Kaka, said to be an armourer and a spy for the group. He said that the arrested terror suspect actively operated a terrorists’ intelligence cell in collaboration with others still at large.The Defence Spokesman added that the Special Forces had an encounter with some insurgents at Goniri, Yobe State, and repelled them.