Ibrahim Mohammed, a suspected Boko Haram operative arrested in connection with the d3adly mosque bombing in Maiduguri, Borno State, has claimed he was paid about ₦100,000 to carry out the attack
The bombing occurred on Christmas Eve at a mosque in Gamboru Market, where a suicide bomber detonated an improvised explosive device (IED), killing five people and injuring 32 others.
Mohammed, one of two suspects arrested by army troops over the incident, said he acted on the orders of his commanders, whom he identified as Adamu and Abubakar.
According to counterinsurgency platform Zagazola Makama, he revealed that the operation was coordinated by Boko Haram leaders operating between Adamawa State and the Mandara Mountains.
“We came after Zuhur and Asr prayers when the mosque was empty. We entered pretending to pray. My colleague was digging to plant the IED in the middle of the mosque while I was digging by the side,” he said.
After the explosion, Mohammed returned to the scene and posed as a first responder, assisting with the evacuation of victims.
“When I returned to the mosque, they were evacuating dead bodies. I helped them convey the corpses and injured people in emergency vehicles,” he added.
The suspect disclosed that he later moved to Yobe State for further assignments and was paid between ₦70,000 and ₦100,000 for each operation.
“After the mission, I proceeded to Yobe for another assignment, to carry out recce on military positions and hunters’ groups for possible attacks on new recruits,” he said.
“I was paid money ranging from ₦70,000 to ₦100,000 per mission.”
Mohammed further stated that he belonged to a wider terror network responsible for multiple attacks across the North-East, linked to factions of Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS), Ansaru, and Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM).
He was arrested on Monday in Damaturu, Yobe State, by local hunters working with Operation Hadin Kai during a raid on a suspected hideout. Security sources said his unusual presence among a group of Almajiri pupils raised suspicion, leading to his arrest and interrogation.
The suspect also revealed that there were plans to attack the new Izala Mosque near Tashan Joni, but the plot was abandoned due to heightened security in the area.
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