The army in a statement signed by the Director Army Public Relation, Brig. General Mohammed Yerima said the cohorts were raided and arrested at Kukareta Village along Damaturu/Maiduguri highway.
Kukareta village is located about 21km away from Damaturu, the State capital along Maiduguri/Damaturu highway. Before 2019, it used to be one of the biggest IDP settlements in Yobe State with close to 40,000 households.
Yerima stated that the raid was conducted following an intelligence report leading to the recovery of a huge volume of stocked fuel by the suspects.
The statement reads: “Troops of Operation Hadin Kai on Tuesday, May 27, 2021 raided a suspected Boko Haram logistics stockpile in Kurkareta town, Yobe State.
“Items recovered during the raid operations by troops in conjunction with local vigilantes include 62 jerry cans loaded with Premium Motor Spirit popularly called petrol, hidden in different houses and shops. Three vehicles belonging to the terrorists’ suppliers with registration numbers DAL 626 YE (Kano), GBK 413 GR (Benue) and XA 390 SHN (Borno) were also impounded.
“The successful raid was undertaken following credible intelligence that some members of the community are suppliers of fuel and other products to insurgents.
“All the recovered items and the suspects are in our custody for preliminary investigations before handing them over to the appropriate agency for prosecution,” the statement explained.
The statement added that; “The NA remains determined to sustain their offensive operations in the area and assures the public that the Army leadership is committed to achieving the overall objective of keeping the North East and the entire country free of terrorism, banditry and other violent crimes.”
