Boko Haram Top Man Escapes Arrest In Benue

One of the top kingpins of the dreaded lslamist sect, Boko Haram, Ali Jalingo, Sunday evaded arrest in Gboko town of Gboko Local Government Area of Benue state when security operatives raided the area in search of him.

It gathered that the invasion, which took place in Gboko South, at about 3:00am yesterday morning was accompanied by fire exchange from the operatives and some heavily armed gunmen.

The Benue State Police Command disclosed that it was a military team from Abuja, including soldiers and men of the State Security Service (SSS) that carried out the operation, saying that the police in Benue were not involved.

Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Daniel Ezeala said: “it was not the police in Benue that carried out the operation. The incident happened in Gboko Benue State but it was the military and the state security service in Abuja that carried it out. And so we (Benue police command) cannot give the details of the incident and I cannot tell you anything more than that.”

However, it was learnt that Jalingo had rented an apartment belonging to a man identified as ‘Dan Tsoho’ behind an Islamic primary school in the community.

Jalingo, a native of Niger Republic who was declared wanted in connection with various bombings in Borno and other parts of Northern Nigeria was alleged to have been in Gboko town for some time now.

According to an eyewitness, who simply gave his name as Mohammed, “There were gunshots around Gboko South in the early hours of Sunday, precisely 3am. People thought it was thieves on rampage. But as the day broke, a source from that part of the town told our correspondent that soldiers were after a suspected Boko Haram agent, Ali Jalingo.”

“This evening, at about 6pm, bulldozers were sited at the vicinity doing their job. Five minutes later, the house was reduced to rubbles. Some residents were said to have deserted the area while sighting the presence of heavily armed security personnel”, he said.