Troops arrest teenager over killing of Brigadier General Braimah

Troops of Joint Task Force (North East) Operation HADIN KAI have arrested a 15-year-old boy allegedly linked to the terrorist attack that claimed the life of brigadier general Oseni Braimah and three other soldiers in Borno State.

The suspect, identified simply as Tijjani, was reportedly captured on Sunday while on an errand to purchase food and supplies for members of his group.

General Braimah, Commander of the 29 Task Force Brigade under Operation HADIN KAI, was killed on Thursday alongside another officer and two soldiers when suspected Boko Haram fighters attacked their base.

In a video released after his arrest, the teenager, who spoke in Hausa, said he took part in the assault on Benisheik and Ngamdu communities.

He said, “Before the attack, we came from Jilli and returned there after the attack.”

Tijjani further claimed he had been sent back to Ngamdu with cash to procure logistics for the group.

“I was sent from Jilli yesterday with N850,000 to collect some logistics from Ngamdu, but I was arrested by troops,” he said.

The suspect added that he left other members of the group behind in Jilli before his arrest.

“Yesterday (Saturday), I left other fighters, my colleagues, at Jilli. I don’t know what happened to them there,” he stated.

Security authorities are yet to issue a formal statement on the arrest, but the development is seen as a potential breakthrough in ongoing operations against insurgents in the North-East.