•Picks up 8 key suspects
•Nabs Chadian kingpin, denies attacks in Borno
Angry men of the Nigerian Army swept through Angwan Hausawa village in Nyanya area of Abuja over the weekend, embarking on mass arrest of those it deemed to have links with organised criminal gangs in the country.
The arrest which began at about 9pm on Friday lasted through the night till 9am yesterday.
The village, otherwise known as Chief’s Palace Area, was under heavy security cordon throughout the raid with residents deliberately imposing curfew on themselves for fear of being arrested.
Angwan Hausawa is the closest area to the scene of Thursday night car-bomb attack which left 19 people dead and about 66 injured.
It was not immediately clear where the suspects were taken to.
When contacted, Defence spokesman, Major Gen. Chris Olukolade, denied knowledge of the operation. Also, Director, Army Public Relations, Brig. Gen. Olajide Olaleye, could not be reached as at the time of filing this report as his telephone line was switched off.
But afterwards, the military confirmed the arrest of eight suspects, mostly foreigners at Kugbo and Nyanya in Abuja, close to the scene of Thursday’s bomb blasts.
The Defence headquarters, DHQ, in a statement signed by the Director of Defence Information, DDI, Major General Olukolade, said that the suspects, who were arrested during a raid by troops on patrol in the area, were currently saying what they knew about the insecurity in the territory
. Olukolade also confirmed the capture of a Chadian in Maiduguri, Borno State, who is one of the kingpins of Boko Haram, dismissing as false, rumour of terrorists’ attack on the University of Maiduguri and military formations.
He also confirmed the repelling of attacks in Plateau State by troops, killing of a cattle rustler, uncovering of gun factory as well as recovery of dangerous weapons of mass destruction in the state.
The statement read, in part: “There was no attack on Maiduguri metropolis as widely reported this morning by some media outlets especially a foreign television channel.
“Rather, on receiving distress call, troops at about 2am this morning launched a counter attack using mainly mortar shells on a group of terrorists who had attacked and killed four persons in Margimari village and other settlements in the outskirts of Maiduguri.
“There was no fighting or attack around the university or any barrack in Maiduguri either as reported.
“Meanwhile, a Chadian, Usman Mecheka, operating with the terrorist group around Lake Chad has been taken into custody by the Multi-National Joint Task Force.
“He was apprehended by the Task Force while trying to extract a ransom from herdsmen and farmers in the area after an earlier attack on the community.
“Troops of the Special Task Force in the Plateau State have also raided a camp maintained by an armed gang operating in a settlement in Shendam Local Government Area of Plateau State.
“A gun fabricating machine as well as some arms and ammunition from the hideout were recovered during the raid. Also recovered during the raid were local single barrel guns, pistols, an automatic rifle, bullet pellets and a large quantity of materials for producing gun powder.
“The raid has equally yielded vital details to track down the operators of the gun fabricating hideout who are now on the run. The area is also being combed in the search for similar criminal outfits.
“In another development in Tanabu community in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State, troops of the Special Task Force have successfully repelled an attack by a gang of cattle rustlers who had invaded the community after a shootout.
Source: National Mirror
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