A suspected member of the extremist group Boko Haram has told security operatives that he was paid up to ₦100,000 to participate in the deadly Christmas Eve bombing of a mosque in northeastern Nigeria.
The suspect, Ibrahim Mohammed, is one of two individuals arrested by Nigerian troops in connection with the attack, which took place inside a mosque at Gamboru market in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State.
The explosion killed five worshippers and left 32 others injured after a suicide bomber detonated an improvised explosive device during the festive period.
Mohammed, speaking to security agents in a viral video, said he was acting on instructions from Boko Haram leaders he identified as Adamu and Abubakar.
He claimed the operation was coordinated by commanders operating between Adamawa State and the Mandara mountain range along Nigeria’s border with Cameroon.
“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.
In a further revelation, Mohammed told investigators that after the explosion, he deliberately returned to the scene, blending in with residents and emergency workers as part of an effort to avoid detection.
“When I returned to the mosque, they were evacuating dead bodies. I helped them convey the corpses and injured people in emergency vehicles,” he said.
The suspect said he later travelled to Yobe State, where he was assigned additional tasks, including surveillance of military positions and local hunters’ groups for potential future attacks.
“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.
“I was paid money ranging from ₦70,000 to ₦100,000 per mission.”
Mohammed also disclosed that he belonged to a wider terror network coordinating attacks across Nigeria’s northeast, involving factions linked to Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS), Ansaru, and Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), groups known for operating across the Lake Chad Basin and the wider Sahel region.
Security sources said the suspect was arrested on Monday in Damaturu by local hunters working alongside Operation Hadin Kai, following a raid on a suspected hideout. His presence among a group of Almajiri children reportedly raised suspicion, leading to his detention and interrogation.
During questioning, Mohammed allegedly revealed that his cell had planned another attack on the new Izala Mosque near Tashan Joni in Maiduguri, but the plot was abandoned due to heightened security in the area.
