Troops of the Nigerian Army have reportedly arrested Wakiil Mama, a politician in Yobe State popularly known as Mai Salati, over alleged logistical support for terrorist groups and links to the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
Gatekeepers News reports that according to Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency publication focused on the Lake Chad region, the politician was arrested following an alleged attempt to bribe soldiers into releasing suspects apprehended with suspected terrorist logistics in Kanamma, Yobe State.
The publication reported that the arrest followed an intelligence-led operation coordinated by the commander of Sector 2 and the 27 Task Force Brigade to track down and apprehend the politician.
Mai Salati was allegedly operating as a logistics supplier and collaborator for terrorist groups, according to the report.
The publication said the suspects arrested earlier in Kanamma were being processed for further investigation when the politician allegedly offered money to soldiers in an attempt to secure their release.
Rather than accept the money, the troops reportedly arrested Mai Salati and began arrangements to transfer him to Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, for further investigation and possible legal action.
Makama further reported that the politician and the other suspects were subsequently moved from Damaturu, the Yobe State capital, to Maiduguri for further interrogation by security authorities.
The investigation is expected to establish the extent of their alleged connections with terrorist networks and determine whether they were involved in supplying logistical support to ISWAP.
The publication quoted security sources as insisting that the operation was not politically motivated but was based on allegations of terrorism-related logistics and an attempt to interfere with the detention of suspected suppliers to the group.
The allegations against Mai Salati have not been established in court.
