The Nigerian military has identified about 87 of the over 486 travelers arrested in Abia State as suspected Boko Haram members.
The military arrested the travelers on Monday, June 16, 2014 in Aba, along Enugu – Port Harcourt Expressway, en route the Rivers state capital from Northern Nigeria to Port Harcourt in about 33 buses.
The director of defence information, Chris Olukolade, had revealed that a wanted Boko Haram kingpin was identified among the 486 men in a statement released on Tuesday.
He also stated that those identified as possible security risks or illegal immigrants would be separated from their colleagues for further action.
New reports reaching The Trent indicates another 86 have been identified as suspects of the Islamist extremist group.
“But to be double sure, we have called for additional screening,” the source said.
The travelers were arrested in a very suspicious manner. 486 men in about 33 men driving through Abia state unable to state exactly where their destination was.
Many of them had never been to the state nor could they state their mission in their supposed destination which they say is Port Harcourt.
Many of the travelers didn’t have up to N1,000 on them.
The Boko Haram sect has has in the past years killed thousands of Nigerians since its insurgency began in 2009.
Their terrorist activities in Northern Nigeria led to the declaration of a State of Emergency in Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa in May 2013.
The sect is currently holding more than 200 secondary school girls hostage after abducting them from Government Secondary School, Chibok on Monday, April 14, 2014.
