OPHK Troops Arrest Bomb Suspects, Block Explosive Supply Routes After Deadly Maiduguri Attack
Troops of Operation Hadin Kai have arrested two suspected suicide bombers and disrupted key supply lines used by Boko Haram following the deadly attack on a mosque at Gamboru Market in Maiduguri.
The arrests were made during intelligence-led operations in Borno and Yobe states as part of a wider clampdown on terror cells operating in the North-East.
One suspect was intercepted at the Banki Central Mosque in Borno State during a joint patrol by security forces, where explosive-related materials were reportedly found on him.
The second suspect was earlier arrested in Damaturu, Yobe State, and later transferred to Maiduguri for questioning over his alleged role in the December 24 mosque bombing that killed five worshippers and left several others injured.
Investigations revealed that the attack was part of a wider plot by Boko Haram-linked factions to carry out multiple suicide and bomb attacks across the region.
Security sources said a terror network had prepared several body-borne explosives and moved fighters through border communities and mountain routes ahead of the planned assaults.
One bomber succeeded in detonating an explosive inside the Gamboru Market Mosque, while others were believed to be on standby.
Following the attack, the military leadership ordered a shift to aggressive search-and-destroy operations, strengthening security around markets, mosques and major movement routes in Maiduguri and nearby towns.
This led to further breakthroughs including information from one of the suspects who claimed he planted an explosive device near the mosque but failed to detonate it while an accomplice carried out the deadly blast.
In a related operation, troops also intercepted a vehicle at the Nigeria–Cameroon border carrying large quantities of urea fertilizer, a key ingredient for making bombs. The driver and supplier were arrested and more fertilizer was recovered.
The military said the arrests and seizures show ongoing efforts to break terror networks, cut off bomb-making materials and prevent further attacks on civilians in the region.
