The Otaru of Auchi Kingdom, Alhaji Aliru H. Momoh, Monday revealed that 24 suspected Boko Haram members operating as Fulani herdsmen in the community had been arrested by the Nigerian Army.
The monarch told newsmen in his palace at Auchi, headquarters of the Estako-West Local Government Area in Edo State that the commandant of the Nigeria Army School of Engineering (NICOHO) near Auchi, informed him of the arrest of the suspected insurgents.
“Shortly before you came, I had audience with the commandant.
“He informed me what they are doing and the arrest of some 24 suspected members of Boko Haram operating under the guise of Fulani herdsmen in the community,” he said.
“The commandant also informed me that the suspects would be transferred to Benin,” the traditional ruler said.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), he commended the commandant for taking proactive steps to have taken the fight to the suspected insurgents in the forest, saying that the “issue of security needs careful planning and execution”.
The Otaru, who described the activities of the herdsmen in the area as worrisome, said: “We have asked farmers, especially the women, to stop going to the farms for now.
“We gave them some grants to enable them engage in petty trading in the mean time, to avoid the incessant attacks on them.
“The traditional council is collaborating with the army, security agencies, and some vigilante groups, and we have recently incorporated the hunters to help to evolve lasting solutions to the problem,” he said.