Troops of Operation Hadin Kai, the joint task force in Nigeria’s North-East, have arrested a 15-year-old suspect identified as Tijjani over his alleged involvement in a deadly attack in Borno State that claimed the life of a senior military officer and three soldiers.
The officer, Brigadier-General Oseni Braimah, who commanded the 29 Task Force Brigade under Operation Hadin Kai, was killed on Thursday, April 9, when suspected Boko Haram insurgents attacked a military base in the state.
According to military sources, the teenage suspect was apprehended in Ngamdu. In a video circulating online, Tijjani, who spoke in Hausa, claimed he took part in coordinated attacks on both Benisheik and Ngamdu.
He disclosed that the group had moved from Jilli before carrying out the assault and later retreated to the same location. The suspect further revealed that he had been sent back to Ngamdu with N850,000 to procure logistics when he was arrested by troops.
“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. Yesterday (Saturday), I left other fighters, my colleagues, at Jilli. I don’t know what happened to them there,” he said.
Security authorities have yet to issue an official statement on the arrest, but the development is seen as part of ongoing efforts by Operation Hadin Kai to dismantle insurgent networks operating in the North-East.