Nigerian Army Arrests 'Suspected Boko Haram Financier,' 'Stimulants Dealer' Mohammed Maina

The Nigerian army said Tuesday it had arrested a “suspected Boko Haram financier and stimulants dealer” in northeastern Borno state, a former stronghold of the Islamic militants. The suspect, Mohammed Maina, allegedly gathered money and supplies from Boko Haram sympathizers in the region and sent the materials to terrorist camps.

Maina is apparently a native of Ngurosoye village in the Bama Local Government area of Borno, about 42 miles outside the state capital, Maiduguri. He was arrested with 1 million naira (about $5,000) in cash and a slew of other items including kola nuts, a stimulant.

“[An] investigation revealed that Mohammed supplies them with kola nuts and other items, especially stimulants. He further revealed that kola nuts [are] in high demand among the terrorists as it keeps them active at night,” Nigeria’s Defense Headquarters in Abuja said in a statement on Facebook Tuesday.

Nigerian troops also raided a Boko Haram camp Monday at Bulungwa Naibe in the Dikwa Local Government Area of Borno state. They killed “quite a number of” fighters and obtained equipment including a vehicle mounted with an anti-aircraft gun, a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, machine guns and rifles, Defense Headquarters said Tuesday.

The Nigerian army said Sunday it had obtained the names of suspected Boko Haram sponsors in recent suicide bombings in Maiduguri. Military chiefs apparently planned to expose the suspects soon.

At least 10 people were killed and 39 others wounded when four suicide bombers detonated themselves outside a mosque Thursday night in the Sajeri area of Maiduguri where Boko Haram was first based when it launched its brutal insurgency six years ago. The attackers were young girls and suspected Boko Haram terrorists, Defense Headquarters said Friday. The Nigerian army has since opened an investigation into people believed to be sponsoring the attacks.

“Investigation on those that we suspect are either participating or hiding, fueling or conniving with those that carried out those acts is ongoing,” Maj. Gen. Yushau Abubakar told News Agency of Nigeria Sunday. “They will be exposed in due course.”