The Borno State Police Command has dismissed claims by the Nigerian Army that it arrested a suspected suicide bomber, identified as Abubakar Mustapha, in Banki town, Bama Local Government Area of Borno State.
The disagreement followed an earlier statement by the spokesperson of the Joint Task Force North-East, Operation Hadin Kai, Lt.-Col. Sani Uba, who said troops of the 152 Task Force Battalion arrested the suspect on Monday, December 29, 2025, based on credible intelligence.
According to Uba, the arrest was carried out at about 5:40 p.m. by military personnel deployed at the Banki Central Mosque, alongside other security operatives. He added that the suspect was allegedly found in possession of “materials believed to be components of a primed Improvised Explosive Device (IED),” suggesting an imminent attack.
However, the Borno State Police Command, in a statement released on Wednesday morning, refuted the Army’s claims, insisting that the suspect was arrested by police operatives and not the military.
The Police also dismissed the allegation that the suspect was in possession of IED-making materials at the time of his arrest, warning against the spread of misinformation capable of causing public panic.
“The Borno State Police Command has observed with concern the circulation of social media videos alleging the recovery of improvised explosive device (IED) components in Banki, Bama Local Government Area,” the statement read.
Clarifying the incident, the Police spokesperson explained that on December 29, 2025, at about 6:10 p.m., operatives of the Command, while on surveillance around a mosque in Banki, accosted a suspect identified as Abubakar.
He said the suspect was found with a bag containing electrical wires, old mobile phone batteries, assorted gadget scrap materials, and pairs of shoes.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that the items recovered had no indication of active IED fabrication or priming,” the statement added.
According to the Police, the case has been transferred to the State Command Headquarters for a comprehensive investigation, while the suspect remains in custody as investigations continue to determine the circumstances and intent surrounding possession of the items.
The Police Command further urged members of the public to refrain from spreading unverified information and advised them to rely only on credible and official sources for updates.
