From detained Boko Haram topshot Abu Qaqa, came more stunning revelations yesterday on why the Islamist sect robs banks, besides suicide bombings. As he squealed, 12 people were killed on Sunday night in a shoot-out between the Joint Task Force (JTF) and members of the sect in Maiduguri, Borno State, even though a hospital source said it received five bodies.

Abu Qaqa, who the group denied being its spokesperson, but a top official, was arrested in Kaduna about two weeks ago on his way to honour Federal Government’s invitation for dialogue. He is one of the 30 high profile personalities in government’s custody as the crackdown on the sect intensified following the Januaty 20, 2012 multiple bomb blasts in Kano. The group’s deadliest attack so far, claimed 185 lives.

Qaqa revealed that whereas the group is funded by some politicians, it also finds some other lucrative use for members’guns.When the group is cash-strapped, the members’ find recourse to carrying out bank raids to raise fund and keep the wheels of violence turning.
In one of such spates of diverse use of violence and guns, he said that Boko Haram members stormed a bank which he (Abu Qaqa) could not reveal its identity or location and harvested N41million. .

Qaqa explained that when a member is killed in action, the leader reserves the right to allocate the wife or wives to other members as adopted or new wives. Such ‘gifts of generosity’ are never refused by members because even the leader, Shekau, most times appropriates some of such widows after dishing out to other members or even before any other member gets. In one of such wife swap deals, Shekau, inherited one of the wives of the assassinated sect leader, Mohammed Yusuf, and still keeps her till date. Yusuf was killed by security agents in 2009.
From Qaqa’s revelations, it seems Boko Haram may have suffered a terrible blow by reason of his arrest, and he, in fact, noted that if he, Qaqa, could be arrested by security forces, or another kingpin, Abdullahi Damasak neutralized by the security forces, then any Boko Haram member is vulnerable and could spell doom for the dreaded group.

“Everyone lived in fear, more of leadership of the group even than security agencies. For instance, I never for once believed I could be arrested. I thought I was invincible. But now I have realised that if I could be arrested, if Abdullahi Damasak, the spiritual adviser, could disappear (arrested), then it is a matter of time before everyone is caught.”

But the windfall of the bank raid made possible by power of the barrel at last became a sore point in the body polity of the group. And Qaqa squealed: “A major source of distrust and acrimony in the group was the N41million got from the bank robbery that was not accounted for. Normally, the money is supposed to be shared among five groups: the less privileged, widows of those that died in the Jihad, Zakat, those that brought in the money, and the last to the leadership to be used in prosecuting the Jihad.

“We don’t know how this particular income was spent and nobody dared ask questions for fear of death. Even those that took part in the robberies are also always compelled to pay Zakat on their share to the leadership. The leader, Shekau, appropriates what goes to the widows, less-privileged, Zakat and leadership.
“The leader also gives out wives of those killed the way he wants and marries some in the name of giving them protection. For instance, he is married to one of Mohammed Yusuf’s wives.

Meanwhile, the JTF and Boko Haram on Sunday night claimed 12 people were killed in the gun battle.
Spokesman of the JTF, Lt. Col. Hassan Ifijeh Mohammed, who confirmed the gun battle with the sect at Budum area in Maiduguri metropolis on Sunday night, said on the contrary, the troops killed 12 members of Boko Haram at about 8.30pm. He said two of their personnel were however injured.
The JTF said it has observed that some individuals were allowing their places of worship and business centres as well as residences to be used by the Boko Haram to launch attacks on security agencies. He warned that the task force “will deal with the issue appropriately.”

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