Nigerian police arrest top Boko Haram commander
Police in Nigeria have arrested Mohammed Zakari, a
senior commander of the Boko Haram sect, blamed for killing hundreds of
people since 2009, a police officer said on Tuesday.
Zakari, 30, was linked to the recent killing of seven people, including women and children, Xinhua quoted police spokesperson Frank Mba as saying in a statement.
The
suspect was arrested on Saturday following a massive onslaught by
security forces against the activities of insurgents in the Balmo forest
in Bauchi State in the northeast, Mr. Mba added.
According to him, Zakari was arrested while fleeing from intensive counter insurgency operations around the forest.
The
suspect was trained at Gombe forest under the leadership of another
fleeing insurgent, Abba Taura, the police spokesperson said, noting that
the suspect moved to Balmo forest only three months ago.
Boko
Haram is based in northeast Nigeria, north Cameroon and Niger. It seeks
to establish an Islamic state ruled by sharia. The group has been
declared a terrorist organisation by the US and sanctioned by the UN
Security Council.
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