In the first such high profile arrest of a non-Muslim as part of the crackdown no Boko Haram, Mr Moses was arrested after locals suspected he was a Boko Haram spy. He was arrested by the men of the 33 Artillery Brigade of the Nigerian Army in Bauchi and three other suspects were subsequently picked up too.
Of the four men that were arrested, one of them was said to be the one who carried out surveillance on the Madalla church before it was bombed in 2011. Colonel Sani Usman, the director of army public relations, named the four arrested men as Victor Moses, Abubakar Shettima, Salisu Mohammed Bello and Umar Sadiq Madaki.
He added that they have been carrying out surveillance missions for the Boko Haram terrorists, scouting targets for suicide bombings or attacks. However, their luck ran out when Mr Moses went to a mosque in Bauchi and pretended that he wanted to be converted to Islam but local people suspecting that he was not genuine and promptly reported the matter.
Upon interrogation, Mr Moses confirmed that he was working for an Islamic cleric in Gombe now at large and that their contact was Abubakar Shetima, based in Jos. He confessed to picking targets for suicide bomb attacks, including that of the Catholic Church Madalla, Suleja in Niger State, which was bombed on December 25 2011.
All four accused persons, currently undergoing further interrogation, were paraded by the commander of the 33 Artillery Brigade, Brigadier Abraham Dusu at the brigade’s headquarters at Shadawanka Barracks in Bauchi yesterday. It is not yet clear when they will be charged to court.
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