Eleven suspected members of the Boko Haram sect have been arrested and their automatic weapons seized, the military said yesterday.The militants have claimed responsibility for the deaths of hundreds of people since launching an uprising in 2009.
The men were arrested in the Waka-Biu region of Borno State, spokesman for Borno’s military and police Joint Task Force (JTF), Lt. Col. Sagir Musa, said.
He said they recovered a submachine gun, seven AK-47s, 1,568 rounds of ammunition, 12 empty shells and 19 home-made bombs.
Boko Haram, whose fighters usually target members of the security forces, government offices and churches, began attacking telecommunications companies’ masts last week, saying the companies were helping government authorities to track them.
A military crackdown on the group in the North appears to have weakened their capabilities, and they have not managed a deadly large-scale strike for several months, although they are still active across the North.
Government said it is negotiating with some Boko Haram members. The sect’s spokesman has denied it is in talks with government authorities, but has never ruled them out in principle.
The Nation
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