by Zara Mustapha

A man who confessed to being a bomb expert for the dreaded Islamic sect Boko Haram has been arrested by military operatives in Borno state while on his way to Sambisa forest, the alleged hideout of the insurgents.

The man whose identity is hidden by the authorities, is said to be in his mid 20s and appears to be a big break for the military as he was reported to have confessed his involvement in the recent Nyanya and Jos bombing which killed scores of people and injured many others.

The bomb expert was arrested by soldiers of the 7 Division of the Nigerian Army while he was travelling from Abuja to Sambisa on Sunday near Bama town of Borno state.

Reports say suspicious items like “sophisticated communication gadgets, a map, a very  expensive laptop and 30 pieces of Flash-Drives” were found in the suspect’s bag during a stop-and-search operation by soldiers on patrol, which led to his immediate arrest.

Premium Times reports:

The soldiers, our sources said, immediately whisked him to the Maimalari barracks in Maiduguri, a distance of about 100km away and handed him over to relevant military personnel for further interrogation.

During interrogation, the man reportedly confessed being  a bomb expert working for Boko Haram and claimed to be carrying out assignments for “the power that be”

The suspect also confessed being responsible for both Nyanya and Jos bomb blasts that claimed about 300 lives.

“He said he was to meet with some operatives of  Boko Haram for yet another work (bomb attack)”, said one of our sources who cannot be named because he was not authorised to make these disclosures to anyone.

The source added that the suspect boasted during interrogation that those who arrested him merely wasted their time as he was confident of being released by the powers behind his deadly activities.

“He boasted that he will soon be released as was the  case at DSS headquarters when he was arrested late last year but only to be released three months after to start work again,” one of our sources, said.

When contacted, the spokesperson of the Defence Headquarters, Chris Olukolade, a Major General, declined to confirm or deny the arrest.

“Many terrorists are being interrogated as we speak and I do not want to comment on any specific case at this time,” Mr. Olukolade said.

A deadly car bomb at Nyanya bus station near Abuja, had on April 14 killed at least 75 people and injured 124 more.

Two weeks later, on May 1, another round of explosion went off around the same area, killing 19 and injuring 66 others.

On May 20, multiple explosions  occurred around the ever-busy Jos Main Market, between Railway Terminus and the temporary site of the Jos University Teaching Hospital, killing over 200 people.

At least three people were killed and three others injured when another explosion near a football viewing centre rocked the city four days later on May 24.

The arrested suspect reportedly confessed his involvement in the four bombings.