6 Boko Haram Members Arrested At Airport After Return From Hajj

Six persons have been arrested at the Maiduguri International Airport, Borno State, after arriving from Saudi Arabia, where they had gone to perform the holy pilgrimage.

Their arrest was in connection with their alleged membership of the outlawed Boko Haram sect and involvement in acts of terrorism.

A police source revealed that the suspects were among the first batch of pilgrims that returned to Borno from Saudi Arabia on Sunday and were arrested by a combined team of police, military personnel, immigration and men of the State Security Service (SSS) at the airport as soon as they arrived.

According to the security source, the combined team of security men had waited for them at the airport and immediately they arrived, they were arrested.

Confirming the arrest to journalists, the Acting Deputy Director Army Public Relations (DDAPR) of the 7 Division, Nigerian Army, Captain Aliyu Danja, said three of the suspects were released after initial investigation showed they were clean.

He said: "We got information that six suspected Boko Haram members were among the pilgrims that went to Saudi Arabia to perform this year hajj exercise and we picked them up as soon as they arrived. “However, three of them have been released after our investigation but the other three are still with us undergoing interrogation.”

Danja also disclosed that the Nigerian Army was winning the war against terrorism and insurgency, insisting that it was determined to ensure that normalcy returns to all parts of Borno.
The DDAPR said consistent patrol had commenced on the Maiduguri-Damaturu Highway as well as other roads in the state, urging residents, travellers and motorists not to panic.

He also stated that the newly established 7 Division was in addition to its constitutional role, saddled with the responsibility of tackling the activities of the Boko Haram insurgents which he maintained, constitute threat to the unity of the country.

He appealed to people to continue to support the division and other security agencies in the state with credible information that could help in bring the insurgency to an end.