Nigeria’s Military Arrest Boko Haram Snitch, Car Bomb Goes Off in Marketplace

After Nigerian military’s claim Monday night that they have arrested businessman Babuji Ya’ari (pictured), who allegedly ran a covert Boko Haram intelligence unit and participated in the abduction of the Chibok students, Tuesday morning, the Maiduguri area saw yet another attack that killed dozens, according to various reports.

RELATED: #BringBackOurGirls: With More Abductions, We Need Must Be Relentless in Our Pursuit of Justice

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Who Is Babuji Ya’ari?

While Ya’ari was reportedly a part of a civilian vigilante group that seeks to protect the people from Boko Haram by day, by night, he was allegedly behind “several deadly attacks in Maidugiri” since 2011, according to the BBC.

Posing as a successful businessman, Ya’ari is also allegedly responsible for being a part of the operation that kidnapped and killed the emir of Gwoza, Idrissa Timta, who was a traditional leader, on May 30th.

In addition, according to the Ministry of Defense, Ya’ari “participated actively in the abduction of schoolgirls” of Chibok’s Government Secondary School on April 14th.

During the military’s raid of the intelligence unit, several women were also said to be arrested; however, authorities’ claims have not been verified as of press time.

Attacks Continue

Shortly after the markets opened in the capital of Borno State around 8 a.m., a car bomb, which was reportedly hidden under charcoal in a pickup van, went off, killing about 50 people, according to the Guardian.

Witnesses contend that there would have been even more casualties if it were not for Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting which started on Sunday. The religious practice reportedly keeps people up late for eating, causing both sellers and buyers to arrive at the marketplace later than usual.

But this latest car bomb is just one more violent incident to add to a litany of others both in recent days and months: On Sunday, four churches in a northeast village near Chibok were attacked as people worshipped when the terrorists opened fire on them, slaughtering at least 40 people. And last week, an explosion (pictured), near the Banex shopping plaza in Abuja, killed at least 21 people and injured another 52.

The blast reportedly gave the injured burns on their faces, hands, and legs, while setting cars on fire and shattering windows in nearby buildings due to its force.

Meanwhile, it has been 79 days since the girls of Chibok were kidnapped, and while the government claims that they know where they are located, they maintain that due to the risk involved in retrieving them — with the high numbers of anticipated casualties — they are unable to bring them home to their families.

RELATED: #BringBackOurGirls: Nigerian Police Remove Placards of Missing Girls

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