We planned to cause havoc in Ondo before my arrest –Boko Haram suspect

A member of the deadly Boko Haram sect, Mohammed Bashir, who was arrested by men of Ondo State Police Command a few days ago, said members of the sect were planning to carry out an attack on the state.

Bashir was arrested in Isua Akoko, the headquarters of the Akoko South-East Local Government Area of Ondo State.

Parading the suspect on Tuesday at the command’s headquarters in Igbatoro, Akure, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Gbenga Adeyanju, said the suspect would soon be handed over to the Nigerian Army for further action.

The suspect, who spoke in Hausa language, told journalists that there were other members of the sect in Ondo State who had yet to be arrested.

He said, “I am an officer in Boko Haram, I was arrested by the police when I wanted to go and eat. Other members of the gang and I have been meeting in the bush on how to carry out attacks on Ondo State. I left the meeting to go and eat when the police arrested me.”

On how he joined the sect, the suspect said he was picked up in the bush by some senior members of the group while he wanted to feed his donkey some months ago, adding that since he joined the sect, he had participated in many of the attacks in Borno and Nasarawa states.

He added that some powerful people supplied them with arms and ammunition which they used for their various attacks.

The 20-year-old suspect said, “Killing means nothing to us. I have once killed two people with gun. I killed one man and a boy; we just kill people at will. We kill people because we believe that those practising western education are evil doers and we must kill them.”

The police boss, however, assured residents of the state that if other members of the sect were still in the state, the police would arrest them.

Adeyanju called on the residents to support security agencies by giving out information about criminals in their neighbourhood.

He said, “If they (Boko Haram members) remain in this state, we will get them; it is our work, we know how to get them.”Punch