Baku-APA. Nigeria's Defense Headquarters said on Tuesday a terror kingpin in the list of wanted terrorists of security forces in Nigeria has been detected in the ongoing screening of the 486 suspects., APA reports quoting Xinhua.
The suspects were nabbed along Enugu-Port Harcourt expressway while traveling in over 33 Hiace Hummer buses at night on June 15.
This is contained in a statement issued on Tuesday in Abuja and signed by Maj.-Gen. Chris Olukolade, Director of Defense Information.
The statement said that the identified terror kingpin had been taken into custody and that further development would be communicated in due course.
The statement said so far, other security agencies including the para-military had joined in the screening exercise to ascertain the status of the remaining suspects.
It said those identified as possible security risk or illegal immigrants were expected to be identified for further action.
Lt. Col. Rasheed Omolori, the Commander of the 144 Battalion, had told a news conference in Umuahia, the Abia state capital, on Monday that his men intercepted a convoy of 33 buses conveying 486 Boko Haram fighters aged between 16 and 24 around 3 a.m. local time on Sunday.
The suspects, according to him, claimed to have come from northern parts of the country in search of jobs.
Nigeria has witnessed a string of attacks perpetrated by Boko Haram since 2009, when the sect launched its insurgency targeting churches, security facilities, schools and villages.
Hundreds of people had been killed in the last three months in many village attacks across three states in the northeast region of Nigeria by Boko Haram.
Only last month, more than 100 people were massacred by Boko Haram fighters in various attacks.
Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, is currently grappling with security challenges, one of which is the insurgency of Boko Haram, a sect which seeks to enforce the sharia law in the constitution.
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