Five Boko Haram bombers arrested in Port Harcourt

Five members of the violent Islamic sect, Boko Haram, suspected to be behind a plan to bomb government formations in Port Harcourt have been arrested by the army.
Our correspondent learnt that the five suspects were arrested in the oil city last month and were being detained at 2 Brigade, Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt in Rivers State.
Investigations revealed that the men of the Military Intelligence in the brigade apprehended the culprits with Improvised Explosive Devices, the type that had been used by the Islamic sect for devastating attacks in Abuja and other parts of the North.
According to a senior military source, who pleaded anonymity, investigations have showed that the suspects were on a mission to carry out a bomb attack on the Port Harcourt Brigade and oil installations on December 25, 2011, the same day as the tragic Madalla killings.
Army interrogators reportedly found out that the aborted bombing of the Port Harcourt Brigade was planned to coincide with the devastating one in Madalla
The source added that the military authorities had been silent on the arrest, considered a major breakthrough, because of the need to ensure the success of the search for the members of the sect.
Incidentally, the six members were arrested a day before the bombing of the St. Theresa Catholic Church, Madalla, Niger State on Christmas Day.
A source, who confided in one of our correspondents, said military interrogators were able to extract “valuable information” from the five men.
urther investigations by our correspondent revealed that three of the arrested terror suspects were Hausa Fulani, one a Yoruba Muslim and the other a South-South Islamic convert from Calabar, Cross River State.
Our correspondent gathered that a soldier, who had been arrested alongside the five suspects, was found to be innocent and was released to go at the end of the investigations.
When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of the 2 Brigade Command, Port Harcourt, Lieutenant Colonel Aminu Iliyasu, confirmed the arrest of the suspects.
Iliyasu, who spoke in a telephone interview on Friday, disclosed that the matter had been referred to the appropriate authorities for further investigation.
“The matter has been referred to the appropriate authorities,” the army spokesman, who did not make further comment on the arrest of the suspects, said.
Earlier on Thursday, the Commander of the 2 Brigade Nigerian Army Port Harcourt in Rivers State, Brigadier General Yusuf Buratai, confirmed that security agencies in the state foiled an attempt to bomb the army formation, Bougavilla Hotel and the Shell facility in the state capital.
“Through the collaborative efforts of the Brigade and DSS, an attempt to bomb Port Harcourt Barrack (Bori Camp), Bougainvilla Hotel and Shell facility along Aba Road was foiled on night of December 24, 2011.
“The suspects were arrested in the barracks as well as other locations within Port Harcourt city. They had materials for making Improvised Explosive Devices capable of causing heavy damage,” Buratai noted.