By Zagazola Makama
MAIDUGURI (CONVERSEER) – A suspected Boko Haram suicide bomber, Ibrahim Mohammed, captured by troops of Operation HADIM KAI in collaboration with hunters in Yobe State, has revealed chilling details of how he was recruited, paid and deployed to carry out deadly attacks on worshippers in Maiduguri, admitting that he received up to N100,000 for suicide bombing missions.
Ibrahim, who confessed to involvement in the December 24 suicide bombing at the Gamboru Market Mosque, Maiduguri, said the operation was planned and executed under the directive of Boko Haram commanders operating between Adamawa State and the Mandara Mountains.
“My name is Ibrahim from Michika in Adamawa. We came to Maiduguri to plant bombs in Izala Mosque. We were sent by our leaders, Adamu and Abubakar, who gave us two IEDs to plant in the mosque,” he said during interrogation.
The Gamboru Market Mosque attack claimed five lives and left 32 worshippers injured, plunging Maiduguri town into confusion during the festive period.
Narrating how the attack was executed, Ibrahim said the operatives exploited periods when mosques were empty to plant the explosive devices.
“We came after Zuhur and Asr prayers when the mosque was empty. We entered pretending to pray. My colleague was digging to plant the IED in the middle of the mosque while I was digging by the side,” he said.
According to him, the devices were coupled and timed ahead of the Maghrib prayers.
“As Muslim faithful gathered to pray Maghrib, after the first raka’at, we detonated the bomb. We set the timing for five minutes. Shortly after, I ran to the market area,” he said.
In a disturbing twist, Ibrahim admitted that after the explosion, he returned to the scene and pretended to be a civilian helper.
“When I returned to the mosque, they were evacuating dead bodies. I helped them to convey the corpses and injured people in emergency vehicles,” he confessed.
The suspect disclosed that suicide bombing had become a paid assignment within the terror network. “I was paid money ranging from N70,000 to N100,000 per mission,” he said.
However, he claimed to have regretted his actions after witnessing the scale of civilian casualties. “I regret my action for killing innocent people who did not commit any crime,” Ibrahim said.
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Zagazola Makama report Ibrahim was part of a wider terror cell dispatched to conduct multiple attacks across the North East as part of the coordinated plans by Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS), Ansaru and Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) elements to execute suicide bombings and improvised explosive device (IED) attacks across parts of the North East zone.
It was gathered that a Boko Haram team led by a notorious IED expert, Munzir Abu Ziyadah, allegedly prepared up to 10 person-borne improvised explosive device (PBIED) attacks from the Ali Ngulde camp axis to carry out the mission.
After the Gamboru attack, Ibrahim reportedly moved to Yobe State to conduct reconnaissance for further operations.
“After the mission, I proceeded to Yobe for another assignment, to carry out a recce on military positions and hunters’ groups for possible attacks on new recruits,” he said.
He added that additional suicide bombers had been deployed to Damaturu for attacks on mosques and markets.
At about 2:30 PM on December 29, Ibrahim was arrested in Damaturu by local hunters working with Operation Hadin Kai during a raid on a suspected hideout inhabited by Almajirai.
Security sources said his strange presence among the group raised suspicion, leading to his arrest and interrogation.
During questioning, he confessed to being a member of the Boko Haram Terrorist (BHT) JAS faction from the Mandara Mountains and admitted he entered Maiduguri alongside the bomber who detonated the device at Gamboru Market Mosque.
He disclosed that while his accomplice carried out the Gamboru attack, he was assigned to detonate another bomb at the new Izala Mosque near Tashan Joni, Maiduguri.
“I dropped my own suicide vest/bag around the Izala Mosque because I couldn’t access the mosque due to strict security checks,” he said.
Following the confession, troops of Operation Hadin Kai, supported by Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) teams of the police, were immediately deployed to the Izala Mosque area identified by the suspect.
Although no explosive device has been recovered so far, security sources said it was possible the bag may have been picked up by an unsuspecting individual.
Intelligence sources indicated that Izala mosques were deliberately selected as targets by the terror cell.
Consequently, troops and other security agencies across the North East theatre have been placed on heightened alert, with specific instructions to reinforce security around places of worship, markets and other soft targets.
Zagazola reports that the confession has provided critical insight into Boko Haram’s recruitment tactics, financing of suicide missions and the evolving threat of coordinated attacks, reinforcing the need for sustained intelligence-led operations and community vigilance across the region.
