JTF kills top Boko Haram member, arrests 2 others

Lagos, Nigeria (PANA) - The military Joint Task Force (JTF) battling Nigeria's Islamic sect Boko Haram said Monday it killed one suspected top member of the sect and arrested two others during an early morning operation in the northern city of Kano.

The local media quoted JTF spokesman, Lt. Ikedichi Iweha, who confirmed the incident, as saying the operation was carried out in the Hotoro area of the city.

‘’During the early morning operation, one member of the terrorists group was killed and two other members were arrested.

‘’I have been hearing different, different names, I cannot confirm to you the identity of the suspects arrested yet, because I don’t have the nominal role of the terrorists group,’’ he said.

He said investigation was still going on with a view to identifying the identity of the suspects.

Kano is a hotbed of the sect, which operates mostly in the predominantly-Muslim northern Nigeria.

Boko Haram, which translates to 'Western education is sin' in the local Hausa language, says it is fighting to create an Islamic state in secular Nigeria.

Since launching its violent campaign in 2009, the sect has killed over 1,400 in gun and bomb attacks, according to Human Rights Watch.
-0- PANA SEG/VAO 17Sept2012