Nigeria military raids ‘Boko Haram cell’

Nigeria’s military says it has conducted a raid against an “intelligence unit” of the Takfiri group Boko Haram and has arrested its leader.

Nigeria’s Defense Ministry said in a statement that, during the raid, they arrested the Boko Haram cell’s leader, Babuji Ya’ari, who has “participated actively” in the abduction of almost 300 schoolgirls in the northern town of Chibok.

Ya’ari is also accused of killing a traditional leader in Gwoza in May.

“Babuji has been coordinating several deadly attacks in Maiduguri (the capital of Borno State) since 2011, including the daring attacks on customs and military locations as well as the planting of IEDs (improvised explosive devices) in several locations,” the statement said.

On April 14, the Takfiri Boko Haram militants kidnapped 276 students from their secondary school in Chibok. Reports say 57 of the girls managed to escape, but 219 are still missing.

The Nigerian government has been under intense pressure by many people around the globe, especially the girls’ families, to secure their release. The Nigerian government claims that it knows where the kidnapped girls are being held, but that it refrains from rescue operations since any such operation could lead to their deaths.

Boko Haram says that it will not release the abducted girls until the government releases all its members from prison.

Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for a number of deadly gun and bomb attacks in various parts of Nigeria since 2009. The Takfiri group, whose name means “Western education is forbidden,” is seeking to overthrow the Nigerian government.