DHQ: Bado, wanted Boko Haram informant, arrested in Abuja

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) says its tactical surveillance troops have apprehended Mamuda Usman, a “wanted Boko Haram informant” otherwise known as Bado, in the Asokoro area of Abuja. 

Musa Danmadami, the defence media operations director, said this on Thursday at a media briefing on military operations across the country.

Danmadami said Bado was running errands for a suspected high-profiled Kaduna-based Boko Haram commander before he was arrested.

He added that the Kaduna-based Boko Haram commander has been on the wanted list of security agencies.

Danmadami also said the military’s operation Safe Haven, in collaboration with Beautiful Gate Handicapped People Centre, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) in Jos, distributed 220 tricycles and bags of rice to persons living with disability in Plateau and Bauchi states.

He said the gesture was part of the operation’s “civil-military” activities, aimed at promoting peace and supporting the physically challenged.

The defence director also said the troops rescued abductees during clearance operations at Changal village in Mangu LGA and Pinau village in Wase LGA of Plateau state.

He said troops of operation Whirl Stroke apprehended two suspected kidnappers, identified as Alex Apera, aged 26, and Umaru Halilu, aged 34, and also rescued kidnapped persons in ChaChangi village in Takun LGA and Rafin Kada village in Wukari LGA of Taraba state.

In the north-west zone, Danmadami said the troops of operation Hadarin Daji killed “scores of terrorists and other criminal elements in land and air operations in Kaduna, Katsina and Zamfara states”.

According to him, one of those killed was identified as Dan Nijar Bala, a “notorious terrorist who has been on the wanted list of troops and noted for a series of kidnapping incidents and attacks in the general area”, while in Zamfara, Hamza Dogo, a suspected Boko Haram arms dealer, was arrested.

“Consequently, within the week under review, troops neutralised 17 terrorists, arrested 38 others, and rescued 61 kidnapped civilians,” he added.