Confession of Boko Haram member: Why we can’t surrender •As gunmen set mosque ablaze, kill 3 in Zamfara

“SOMETIMES, I feel guilty of committing crimes against God. But our commanders always tell us that it is Go’s work that we are doing. It is a terrible thing to be a member of the sect, but many foot soldiers of Boko Haram like me, cannot leave for fear of being killed.”
That was part of the confessions of a 22-years old fighter of the dreaded Boko Haram sect who was arrested on 6 October by security operatives and has since been helping them in their investigations.
The suspect, who the military in Borno State, for security reasons, simply called Omar, told journalists in Maiduguri, the state capital, last Friday, that hundreds of some of the recruited fighters, including those who had been with the sect for long, were itching to lay down their arms and embrace peace, but for the fear of being hunted and killed by their leaders.

‘I was forced into sect with threat of death’
Speaking at the Brigadier Maimalari Cantonment in Maiduguri, the Boko Haram fighter said he was forced into joining the group by his elder brother, who had been killed in a battle with military forces.
According to Omar, who confessed to have seen the weapons brought home by his late brother, the sect threatened to kill him and other members of his family, if security operatives got to know that he had seen his brother hiding weapons in their house.
Explaining how he was arrested in Damboa town, Damboa Local Government Area of the state, during a foiled attack on the local government, the suspect said: “During the attack, I was shot in the leg and my people carried me, because we do not leave our wounded behind. However, while running away from the military, they thought I had given up the ghost and there was no time for burial; thus, they left me in the bush and ran away.
“But after a while, I regained consciousness and dragged myself close to town where some children saw me and ran to report to the elders who subsequently informed the police and I was arrested.
“I was later handed over to the soldiers who brought me to Maiduguri for questioning. I was also told by the soldiers that based on my confession, I would be asked to speak with reporters.
I believe you are the people they talked about.”
Omar said contrary to the claim that the Boko Haram insurgents were being asked to take an oath or were being induced with drugs as they joined the group or when moving out to attack any place, it was pure indoctrination; as they believed what they were told that they were “working for Allah as His fingers to carry out jihad for Him.”
He said, once one joined, there was no way out as the units did a head count regularly to know those who were around and if anyone had left.
“I have seen many of my brothers who ran away brought back. I witnessed how they were slaughtered when the group went after them and arrested them. I was once a victim. I attempted to leave. In fact, I left and travelled to Lagos, but somehow, they got me back and I was to be slaughtered. But an argument ensued among our superiors, a development that led them to giving me a second chance, until my eventual arrest this time when they left me in the bush,” he said.

‘We are not fighting for God’
The young lad added that; “I cannot say that, what we are doing is the work of Allah; rather, I see us taking lives and forcefully taking what does not belong to us, which, to me, looks like banditry and not the work of Allah, even though they want us to believe that we are fighting jihad.
“I know the money we collected from people and spent, the food we burgled shops or food stores to collect and ate were nothing but robbery proceeds.
“Although I have never slaughtered anyone, each time we went out to operate, I was given AK47 riffle to shoot and kill. Those guns were brought to us by our superiors in the camps. We do not know where they got the weapons from, but we know that those who brought them used motorcycles to bring them to us, hidden in a bag or sack,” he said.

3 killed in Zamfara
Meanwhile, there persons were killed, while a mosque was burnt down in a sectarian strife that erupted between followers of Izala sect and Darika group in Magaji Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
Sunday Tribune learnt that among the killed was a serving councilor, Alhaji Sani Umar, who was representing Sabon Dan Ali ward, and that the Darika group had organised a preaching session, Dawah, in the area, but some youths had been hired by the Izala sect to prevent the preachers from getting to the venue.
It was learnt that it was in the course of trying to overpower each other that the fracas broke out between the groups, resulting in the death of two persons on the spot.
The councilor, who had earlier escaped being lynched in the melee, was later cornered in the bush and killed.
Both groups had been trading blames over which was responsible for the religious crisis.
The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Lawal Abdullahi, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), confirmed the development, but added that the situation had been brought under control.

Police officer killed in gangs’ fight over abattoir
Also, a police officer was killed in Kaduna on Saturday following a fight between rival gangs in Kawo and Unguwan Dosa communities of Kaduna North Local Government Area of the state, over the control of an abattoir.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Olufemi Adenaike, confirmed to journalists that the body of the deceased had been deposited at the St. Gerard Catholic Hospital, Kaduna, while one of the suspects had been arrested.
About four days ago, tension in that axis of Kawo and Unguwan Dosa communities, due to activities of the rival gangs, had led to imposition of curfew on the area from 9.00 p.m. to 7.00 a.m. by the state police command.
According to a source, “the rival gangs have been terrorising residents of Kawo and Unguwan Dosa and had engaged each other in open fight to gain supremacy over the Kawo Abattoir. A gang coming from the abattoir, heading towards the Kawo market, was met by another at the popular Abattoir Road Junction and a fight broke out.
“Dangerous weapons were used at will. A resident of the area called the attention of the Kaduna State security outfit, Operation Yaki, to the incident and troops were sent to scene to disperse the warring parties. It was in the course of this that the police officer was said to have been hit in the chest and he bled to death.”
More security operatives have been deployed to the area to maintain laws and order.

One killed in Jigawa fracas
In a related development, at least, one person was killed and three others wounded in a clash between farmers and herdsmen in Guri Local Government Area of Jigawa State on Friday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the farmers and herdsmen engaged themselves in battle at Dorawaji village at about 11.30 p.m. on Friday.
The State Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Mr Muhammad Gidado, confirmed the incident.
Gidado told NAN in a telephone interview that two injured persons had been taken to the General Hospital in Guri and the corpse deposited in the morgue.
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