A suspected Boko Haram suicide bomber, Ibrahim Mohammed, arrested by troops of Operation Hadin Kai in collaboration with local hunters in Yobe State, has given a chilling account of how he was recruited, paid, and deployed to bomb worshippers in Maiduguri, admitting that he received between N70,000 and N100,000 for each suicide bombing mission.
Ibrahim, who confessed to involvement in the December 24 suicide bombing at the Gamboru Market Mosque in Maiduguri, said the operation was planned and executed under the direct instructions of Boko Haram commanders operating between Adamawa State and the Mandara Mountains, according to a report by Zagazola Makama.
“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, throwing Maiduguri into panic and confusion during the festive season.
Recounting how the attack was carried out, Ibrahim said the operatives deliberately chose moments when the mosque was 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 he returned to the scene after the explosion and posed as 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 further disclosed that suicide bombing had become a paid operation within the terror group.
“I was paid money ranging from N70,000 to N100,000 per mission,” he said.
However, he claimed to have been overcome with regret after witnessing the extent of civilian casualties.
“I regret my action for killing innocent people who did not commit any crime,” Ibrahim said.
According to the report, Ibrahim was part of a wider terror cell deployed to execute multiple attacks across the North-East, as part of coordinated operations by Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS), Ansaru, and Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) elements, targeting mosques and public spaces using suicide bombings and improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
It was gathered that a Boko Haram unit led by a notorious IED expert, Munzir Abu Ziyadah, allegedly prepared up to 10 person-borne improvised explosive devices (PBIEDs) from the Ali Ngulde camp axis for the coordinated attacks.
Following the Gamboru Market Mosque bombing, Ibrahim reportedly relocated to Yobe State to conduct reconnaissance ahead of further operations.
“After the mission, I proceeded to Yobe for another assignment, to carry out recce on military positions and hunters’ groups for possible attacks on new recruits,” he said.
He added that additional suicide bombers had already been deployed to Damaturu to carry out attacks on mosques and markets.
At about 2:30 p.m. on December 29, Ibrahim was arrested in Damaturu by local hunters working alongside troops of Operation Hadin Kai, during a raid on a suspected hideout occupied by Almajirai.
Security sources said his unusual conduct among the group aroused suspicion, leading to his arrest and subsequent interrogation.
During questioning, Ibrahim confessed to being a member of the Boko Haram Terrorist (BHT) JAS faction operating from the Mandara Mountains, and admitted that he entered Maiduguri alongside the bomber who detonated the explosive device at the Gamboru Market Mosque.
