Soldiers kill ‘Boko Haram kingpin’ in Kaduna

A Boko Haram suspect was yesterday killed in the Kinkinau area of Kaduna metropolis while another member of the sect was arrested following a gun battle with military operatives who stormed their residence in the area.
According to some residents of the area who spoke on condition of anonymity, the security operatives, comprising plain clothed men and soldiers, arrived a street popularly known as Line Sarki around 2 a.m. and within minutes the area was surrounded, while their leader moved to the main door and ordered the occupants to come out.
They said the two suspects, sensing danger, took a position and opened fire on the security personnel, who responded.

The gun battle lasted for hours, causing panic among residents of the area. One of the suspects, who was said to have hidden in the ceiling of the house, was shot dead.
A security source said the security personnel, acting on a tip-off, stormed the rented house to rout out the suspected Boko Haram members who were alleged to have fled from Maiduguri to settle in Kaduna.
He added that the security agents had been on the trail of the suspected Boko Haram member for long.

It was, however, gathered that the agent who gave out the house to the suspect and the landlord of the house have been arrested by security operatives, while the house has been scheduled for demolition.
A resident said: “It was the sound of gun shots that woke us up. Initially, we thought the Boko Haram had invaded the area. When we summoned courage to know what was happening the security operatives drove us away, but we saw stains of blood and a dead body being taken away from the building.”

Another resident, Mohammed Bawa, who expressed shock over the killing of the alleged sect member, said the raid caused tension in the whole area.
“We later confirmed that the shootout was between the security operatives and a Boko Haram member was killed and another one arrested and whisked away to an unknown destination,” he said.
The traditional ruler of the area, the Hakimin Unguwar Mu’azu, Cikasoron Zazzau, Alhaji Ahmed Aliyu Idris, said he personally visited the area where the gun battle took place.
He blamed house owners who give out buildings to caretakers based out of town for renting out such houses to tenants without getting their details.

As security measures, I have earlier ordered my ward and village heads to always get details of whoever wants to rent houses within my district before such house is given to such tenant.
“I want to call on house owners to ensure that they get details of their would-be tenants henceforth, so that people of questionable character will not intrude into our area,” he said.
Meanwhile, three people were injured when some unknown gunmen opened fire on some residents of Bukuru town in Jos South local government area of Plateau state at the weekend.

A resident of the area, Isa Abubakar, told Blueprint that the gunmen shot at the people at about 8 p.m. while they prayed after breaking their Ramadan fast.
Abubakar, who is the leader of Bukuru community, said this was the fifth time that they were being attacked in the same area.
“The gunmen fired at some of our people along the Bukuru express way, from the side of Gyal community,” he said.

He said three persons were shot at “and at the moment two of them, Lawal Muhammad and Bashir Iliyasu, were hospitalised, while the other one was discharged and is now at home.”
The media/information officer for the Special Task Force (STF), Captain Ikedichi Iweha, has confirmed the incident to Blueprint.
He said: “But it was a minor thing that had happened, and the situation was brought under control.”