I was paid N100,000 to bomb worshippers, says Maiduguri suicide bomber”

By: Zagazola Makama

A suspected Boko Haram suicide bomber, Ibrahim Mohammed, captured by troops of Operation HADIM KAI in collaboration with hunters in Yobe state has revealed chilling details of how he was recruited, paid and deployed to carry out deadly attacks on worshippers in Maiduguri, admitting that he received up to N100,000 for suicide bombing missions.

Ibrahim, who confessed to involvement in the Dec. 24 suicide bombing at the Gamboru Market Mosque, Maiduguri, said the operation was planned and executed under the directive of Boko Haram commanders operating between Adamawa State and the Mandara Mountains.

“My name is Ibrahim from Michika in Adamawa. We came to Maiduguri to plant bombs in Izala Mosque. We were sent by our leaders, Adamu and Abubakar, who gave us two IEDs to plant in the mosque,” he said during interrogation.

The Gamboru Market Mosque attack claimed five lives and left 32 worshippers injured, plunging Maiduguri town into confusion during the festive period.

Narrating how the attack was executed, Ibrahim said the operatives exploited periods when mosques were empty to plant the explosive devices.

“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.

According to him, the devices were coupled and timed ahead of the Maghrib prayers.

“As Muslim faithful gathered to pray Maghrib, after the first raka’at, we detonated the bomb. We set the timing for five minutes. Shortly after, I ran to the market area,” he said.

In a disturbing twist, Ibrahim admitted that after the explosion, he returned to the scene and pretended to be a civilian helper.

“When I returned to the mosque, they were evacuating dead bodies. I helped them to convey the corpses and injured people in emergency vehicles,” he confessed.

The suspect disclosed that suicide bombing had become a paid assignment within the terror network. “I was paid money ranging from N70,000 to N100,000 per mission,” he said.

However, he claimed to have regretted his actions after witnessing the scale of civilian casualties. “I regret my action for killing innocent people who did not commit any crime,” Ibrahim said.

Zagazola Makama report Ibrahim was part of a wider terror cell dispatched to conduct multiple attacks across the North-East as part of the coordinated plans by Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS), Ansaru and Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) elements to execute suicide bombings and improvised explosive device (IED) attacks across parts of the North-East zone. 
 
It was gathered that a  Boko Haram  team led by a notorious IED expert, Munzir Abu Ziyadah, allegedly prepared up to 10 person-borne improvised explosive device (PBIED) attacks from the Ali Ngulde camp axis to carry out the mission.

After the Gamboru attack, Ibrahim reportedly moved to Yobe State to conduct reconnaissance for further operations.

“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.

He added that additional suicide bombers had been deployed to Damaturu for attacks on mosques and markets.

At about 2:30 p.m. on Dec. 29, Ibrahim was arrested in Damaturu by local hunters working with Operation Hadin Kai during a raid on a suspected hideout inhabited by Almajirai.

Security sources said his strange presence among the group raised suspicion, leading to his arrest and interrogation.

During questioning, he confessed to being a member of the Boko Haram Terrorist (BHT) JAS faction from the Mandara Mountains and admitted he entered Maiduguri alongside the bomber who detonated the device at Gamboru Market Mosque.

He disclosed that while his accomplice carried out the Gamboru attack, he was assigned to detonate another bomb at the new Izala Mosque near Tashan Joni, Maiduguri.

“I dropped my own suicide vest or bag around the Izala Mosque because I couldn’t access the mosque due to strict security checks,” he said.

Following the confession, troops of Operation Hadin Kai, supported by Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) teams of the police, were immediately deployed to the Izala Mosque area identified by the suspect.

Although no explosive device has been recovered so far, security sources said it was possible the bag may have been picked up by an unsuspecting individual.

Intelligence sources indicated that Izala mosques were deliberately selected as targets by the terror cell.

Consequently, troops and other security agencies across the North-East theatre have been placed on heightened alert, with specific instructions to reinforce security around places of worship, markets and other soft targets.

Zagazola reports that the confession has provided critical insight into Boko Haram’s recruitment tactics, financing of suicide missions and the evolving threat of coordinated attacks, reinforcing the need for sustained intelligence-led operations and community vigilance across the region.

I was paid N100,000 to bomb worshippers, says Maiduguri suicide bomber”

EXCLUSIVE: Army troops of OPHK arrest two suicide bombers in connection to Maiduguri Mosque attack

By: Zagazola Makama

Troops of Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) have recorded a major operational success in Borno and Yobe states with the arrest of two suspected suicide bombers and the disruption of critical logistics networks sustaining Boko Haram terror activities.

One of the suspects was apprehended in Banki town during joint operations and intelligence-led patrols by troops deployed under the Joint Task Force North East (JTF NE), while the second was earlier arrested in Damaturu, Yobe State, in connection with the Dec. 24 suicide bomb attack at the Gamboru Market Mosque.

Zagazola report that the attack was part of the coordinated plans by Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS), Ansaru and Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) elements to execute suicide bombings and improvised explosive device (IED) attacks across parts of the North-East zone.

It was gathered that a Boko Haram team led by a notorious IED expert, Munzir Abu Ziyadah, allegedly prepared up to 10 person-borne improvised explosive device (PBIED) attacks from the Ali Ngulde camp axis.

The terrorists reportedly moved through the Ngoshe Mountains towards Gazuwa and Ngom, infiltrating several communities in Borno State ahead of planned attacks. One of the terrorists successfully detonated his explosive at Gamboru Market Mosque on Dec. 24, killing five worshippers and injuring 32 others.

Shortly after the Maiduguri bomb blast, the Theatre Commander Joint Task Force, North East Operation HADIN KAI, Maj Gen Abdulsalam Abubakar, directed a shift from routine presence to hunter-killer and pre-emptive interdiction operations across the theater.

The Theatre Commander ordered an immediate reconfiguration of forces, with emphasis on intelligence-led operations, layered security around places of worship and markets, and tighter control of movement corridors within Maiduguri and adjoining frontline communities.

Zagazola reliably informed that at about 5:40 p.m. on Dec. 29, troops deployed at the Banki Central Mosque intercepted a suspected suicide bomber in possession of primed improvised explosive device (IED) materials.

The sources said that further investigation revealed additional incriminating IED materials in the suspect’s possession, while he was currently undergoing detailed interrogation.

Meanwhile, investigations into the Dec. 24 suicide bombing at the Gamboru Market Mosque in Maiduguri have also recorded fresh breakthroughs with the arrest and repatriation of another suspected suicide bomber in Yobe state.

Zagazola learnt that the suspect, identified as Ibrahim, was arrested in Damaturu by hunters’ group working in collaboration with Operation Hadin Kai and was brought back to Maiduguri on Dec. 29 for further interrogation.

The source said Ibrahim was taken to the Izala Mosque in the Tashan Joni area of Maiduguri, where he identified a spot he claimed to have dropped a bag containing an IED after he could not get close enough to detonate it. “However, the bag was not found at the indicated location,” the source said.

Further interrogation reportedly led the suspect to confess that he planted another bomb in a bag at the entrance of the Gamboru Market Mosque on Dec. 24, while his accomplice, identified as Adamu, now deceased, entered the mosque wearing a suicide vest which was detonated inside the mosque.

The suspect also disclosed that six suicide bombers were deployed to Maiduguri ahead of the attack under the coordination of a terror kingpin.

He reportedly named three of the bombers Salisu, Yusuf and Adamu as residents of Maiduguri, while the remaining three another Adamu, Yusuf and Abdullahi, allegedly came from Michika Local Government Area of Adamawa State.

However, in a related operation, troops deployed at the Cameroon–Nigeria border gate intercepted a Peugeot vehicle conveying six bags of urea fertilizer, identified as a key component in the manufacture of IEDs.

According to the sources, the driver and the consignment were taken into custody, while follow-up operations led to the arrest of the fertilizer dealer and recovery of an additional six bags of urea fertilizer.

The arrests and seizures illustrated the sustained intelligence-driven operations of Operation Hadin Kai, aimed at dismantling suicide bombing cells, cutting off IED supply chains and preventing further attacks on civilian and religious targets across Borno State.

EXCLUSIVE: Army troops of OPHK arrest two suicide bombers in connection to Maiduguri Mosque attack

Notorious drug peddler killed during police raid in Katsina

By: Zagazola Makama

A suspected drug peddler and member of a criminal gang was killed during a police operation at Sabuwar Anguwa, Katsina Local Government Area of Katsina State.

Zagazola report that on Dec. 27, 2025, at about 10:00 p.m., the Central Market Surveillance Team, led by ASP Audu Isah, acting on credible intelligence, raided the location and arrested one Uzairu Abubakar, also known as Uzairu Kuda, a notorious drug dealer and member of the Kauraye miscreants.

The sources said the suspect was found in possession of dry leaves suspected to be Indian hemp, Pregabalin tablets, and Colorado. During the arrest, he resisted and raised an alarm, prompting gang members to attack the police team.

The assailants reportedly stoned the back screen of a covert Honda Jazz vehicle.

According to the sources, the suspect drew a knife and stabbed the second-in-command of the surveillance team, ASP Ibrahim Yusuf, on the neck. In the ensuing confrontation, the officer discharged his firearm, injuring the suspect, who was taken to General Hospital Katsina and confirmed dead by a medical doctor.

Exhibits, including the suspected drugs and weapon, were recovered, and the corpse was released to the family for burial.

Investigations are ongoing, while efforts are being sustained to apprehend other members of the gang.

Notorious drug peddler killed during police raid in Katsina