Confession Of A Boko Haram Member " I Killed 23 People In 2 Days"

A member of Boko Haram Islamist sect shocked the people of Ngomari
Airport Ward 'Bakin Borehole' area in Maiduguri, Borno State capital,
when heconfessed to have killed 23 people in two days, including a
village head and Police officers in the area.


The Boko Haram member, who was arrested Tuesday evening, was said to
have rented a room in the area about a year ago.


A resident of Ngomari, who pleaded anonymity, told newsmen yesterday
in Maiduguri that the sect member was arrested wearing a jeans trouser
and vest at a borehole, where he went to fetch water.


According to him, the sect member whowas arrested by vigilante youths,
called 'Civilian JTF' was a resident of Gwange, a stronghold of the
sect.


He said the arrest was made possible when the youths went looking for
him and arrested his younger brother, who took them to Ngomari where
the suspect had been hiding.


The resident said: "We were shocked when we heard that Civilian JTF
came and arrested a sect member in our area. We never imagined we
could have somebody like that in our area because we have been living
peacefully.
"We were most shocked when the sect member confessed that he killed 23
people in two days. That is horrible and unimaginable but a reality."


He added that while members of the youth group were beating the
arrested sect member, they also asked him of one Idris Musa, who they
believed was one of the sect members.


Meanwhile, over 50 detained members of the sect have appealed to
Federal Government to give them a second chance as they were ready to
assist the government in bringing the crisis to an end.


The sect members made the appeal when the presidential committee on
dialogue and peaceful resolution of security challenges in the North
visited one of the detention centres in Maiduguri on Tuesday.


One of the detainees, Adam Konto, introduced himself to the chairman
of the committee, Kabir Turaki as the Amir(Commander) of the Bayan
quarters, one of Boko Haram's stronghold in Maiduguri.


He said he was speaking on behalf of the other detained members of the
sect and that they would not take up arms against the government
again.


Konto said: "We pledge to assist the authorities if given a second
chance as most of us were brainwashed and recruited into the sect and
given instructions to carry out dastardly acts without our full
understanding of what we were doing."


Another detainee, who identified himself as Babagana Saje, said that
he was ready to denounce the sect and that the Police should be
commended for keeping them alive.


He said: "The police have been treating us fine. We have been allowed
to take our bath and have been well fed."

Chairman of the presidential committee,however, promised the detainees
that their cases would be looked into.


He said: "If you are sincere with this information we have gathered,
we will bring you into the proposed amnesty agenda."