A suspected Boko Haram suicide bomber, Ibrahim Mohammed, captured by troops of Operation HADIM KAI alongside local hunters in Yobe State, revealed how he was recruited, paid, and deployed to attack worshippers in Maiduguri. He admitted receiving up to N100,000 per suicide bombing mission.
Ibrahim confessed to participating in the December 24 suicide bombing at the Gamboru Market Mosque in Maiduguri, stating that the operation was directed by Boko Haram commanders operating between Adamawa State and the Mandara Mountains.
He said during interrogation: “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.”
The suspect explained 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.
The attack at Gamboru Market Mosque resulted in five deaths and 32 injuries, throwing Maiduguri into confusion during the festive period.
Describing how the bombing was executed, Ibrahim said the operatives exploited periods when mosques were empty to plant explosives: “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 added that the devices were timed to detonate during 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.”
The attack highlights the ongoing threat posed by Boko Haram and the use of suicide bombers as a method of terror financing and violence in the region.
