It has been revealed to a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja that late leader of the Boko Haram sect, Muhammed Yusuf, had in his camp a followership of over 4,000 trained persons before his death in 2009.
Col. Benjamin Ahanotu, the leader of a military team that arrested the late Yusuf before handing him over to the police, in whose custody he was reportedly killed, made the disclosure while under cross examination by the defence counsel, Mr. Canice Nke.
Ahanotu further told the court, presided by Justice Donatus Okorowo, that the sect planned to attack Borno State from the country’s borders with neighbouring states, but had to launch the attack earlier than planned, on July 26, 2009.
He went ahead to inform the court that the Boko Haram sect, under the command of the late Yusuf, attacked government establishments in Maiduguri. Ahanotu however noted that there was no breakdown of law and order in Maiduguri and other parts of Borno State as a result of the activities of Yusuf and his group before the attacks.
Asked why a military troop was used to effect Yusus’s arrest, Ahanotu said “He was arrested because he had an operation going on and he was the leader of the group during the uprising against the government.
He added that the sect’s late leader was arrested with eight men who could be termed as a troop in the military parlance, which can be used to describe the smallest unit in the army up to the level of a brigade.
He further informed the court that the attacks ceased after Yusuf’s arrest as they had already taken control of the situation and were now in pursuit of his men who were running in disarray towards the borders.
But he stressed that he did not follow the police officers to their barracks after handing Yusuf over to them at headquarters of the 21 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, in Maiduguri.
ACP J.B. Abang; ACP Akeera; CSP Mohammed Ahmadu; ACP Mada Buba; Sgt Adamu Gado; PC Anthony Samuel and PC Linus Luka, all of the police command, Maiduguri are standing trial for allegedly killing the leader of the Boko Haram sect Mallam Muhammad Yusuf after he was handed over to them by the military.
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