A suspected Boko Haram operative has confessed that he was paid between ₦70,000 and ₦100,000 to carry out deadly attacks on worshippers in Maiduguri, Borno State, shedding new light on how insurgent cells recruit and finance suicide bomb missions in Nigeria’s North-East.
Security sources say Ibrahim Mohammed, who hails from Michika in Adamawa State, was arrested on 29 December 2025 in Damaturu, Yobe State, during an intelligence-led operation by Operation Hadin Kai troops working with local hunters. According to his confession, he was part of a terror cell directed by commanders identified as Adamu and Abubakar, allegedly operating between Adamawa State and the Mandara Mountains.
Ibrahim admitted involvement in the 24 December suicide bombing at Gamboru Market Mosque in Maiduguri, which killed five worshippers and injured 32 others during evening prayers, an attack that caused widespread panic in the city over the festive period. He described how he and a co-conspirator entered the Izala Mosque after Zuhr and Asr prayers when it was less crowded, pretending to pray while burying improvised explosive devices (IEDs) inside, before they were set to detonate as Maghrib prayers began.
In a disturbing twist, Ibrahim revealed that he returned to the blast site after the explosion, posing as a civilian helper and assisting in the evacuation of bodies and injured persons. He also confirmed that suicide bombing had become a paid assignment within the terror network.
After the mosque attack, he said he moved to Yobe State to conduct reconnaissance for further operations against military positions, civilian vigilante groups and new recruits. Security agencies have indicated that additional suicide bombers were being deployed to other hotspots before his arrest.
The confession offers crucial insight into Boko Haram’s evolving tactics, recruitment and payment structures, highlighting the ongoing security challenges in the North-East and reinforcing calls for sustained intelligence-driven counter-terrorism operations to safeguard worshippers, communities and critical sites.
