Lagos (AFP) – Nigeria’s military on Wednesday said it had arrested a suspect thought to have planned Boko Haram attacks in the central city of Jos and northern city of Zaria that killed more than 70 people.
“Troops have arrested a mastermind of the Jos & Zaria bombing at a checkpoint in Gombe following an operation by combined team of military & DSS (secret police) operatives,” the military tweeted.
No further details were immediately available.
Sunday night’s attacks in Jos saw a mosque hit with bullets and a rocket-propelled grenade fired, while a restaurant popular with travellers from the restive northeast was also targeted.
Mohammed Abdulsalam, coordinator for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in Jos, told AFP on Wednesday the death toll had risen from 44 to 51.
On Tuesday, a suspected suicide bomber detonated his explosives at a government office in Zaria, Kaduna state, as public sector workers queued for identity checks. A total of 25 people died.
Boko Haram has increased the frequency and intensity of its attacks since Muhammadu Buhari became president on May 29, vowing to crush the militants.
In that period more than 550 people have died, according to an AFP tally.
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