Kano — The Joint Task Force in Kano yesterday said it killed a "media man"of the Jama'atu Ahlis Sunnah Lidda'awati wal-Jihad or Boko Haram sect in a shootout during an early morning operation in the state.
The military also said it captured two "field commanders" of the group.
Lt Ikedichi Iweha, the spokesperson of the taskforce, disclosed that the sect member killed was involved with the publicity apparatus of the sect.
"The man we have killed today is connected with their media activities," he said.
Iweha said security agents had commenced investigations with a view to uncovering the actual identity and name of the said member.
The military said two top Boko Haram commanders were also arrested during the operation "The two men are field commanders of the terrorist group. We are making efforts to get their identities; the process could take a long time."
He did not state if the three were found together by the military and SSS team that carried out the operation. According to him, some items were recovered from the members during the operation, but he did not give details.
However, a source close to the raid disclosed that the man, who was killed by the JTF, was the spokesperson of the Boko Haram sect, known as Abul Qaqa.
Security agents had earlier in the year claimed to have apprehended Qaqa, but the sect disputed it even as the same person continued to speak on its behalf.
But the security source said Qaqa was coming from Gombe State in an ash-colour Honda car, when a joint team of army and SSS, who had been on his trail, intercepted him.
"He was taking the wife of an arrested member to the hospital in Kano from Gombe, when he was accosted and killed by our men during a shootout," he said. The woman was said to be the one who revealed his identity to security operatives.
She had been taken into custody, it was gathered.
There was, however, no reaction from the Boko Haram sect over the reported killing and arrests of its members by the taskforce at the time of filing this report.
Meanwhile, Iweha has stated that JTF was yet to establish any link between the killing of a Civil Defence officer and members of his family a day earlier, with the arrested commanders, without ruling out the possibility.
"Considering that where the incident occurred is the same area as the place we arrested them, we cannot it is impossible. However, because we don't know the identity of the killers, we cannot conclude that they are behind it," Iweha explained.
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