Abubakar Shekau

Khalid al-Barnawi, the man touted to be leader of the Ansaru terrorist sect in Nigeria was arrested during a visit to a relation inside the army barracks in Lokoja, the Kogi state capital.

A news report today said the man who doubles as the deputy of the Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau was arrested last week Saturday  by a team of military and DSS operatives. The operatives have been on his trail for some time.

He was  rounded up at the Chari Magumeri Barracks in the outskirts of Lokoja town, following a tip-off. He  was in the barracks to visit a family member.

Al-Barnawi, alongside his  family member and one other accomplice  have now been moved to an undisclosed Abuja location, under tight security after the successful joint operation by the Nigerian Army and DSS.

The terrorist who is on America’s wanted list was said to have masterminded several robbery, kidnapping and terrorists attacks in the state in recent months.He was also said to be building a new Boko Haram cell in the Okene hills in the state.

But Nigerian security analyst Fulan Nasrullah expressed doubts that he had indeed been captured. “Khalid’s people and I have spoken and they have said that he is free and was not captured, whether in Lokoja or anywhere else,” he said.
“They have killed seven different people at seven different times thinking they were Khalid al-Barnawi. They have no photos of him, nor do they know any concrete information about him,” he added.

Read More in: Daily Trust