Boko Haram execute senior commander who planned to release 300 captives and surrender

BOKO Haram have executed one of its senior commanders known as Ali Garga for acts of treachery after he sought to lead 300 captives to freedom by releasing them to the Nigerian military in Borno State.

Mr Garga, a commander of the Mamman Nur faction, Ali Garga, had interned to release the detainees to troops serving under Operation Lafiya Dole. However, details of his plans were leaked and he was subsequently arrested and shot by other commanders still loyal to the terrorist group.

It is believed that after handing over the captives, Mr Garga himself intended to surrender to the Nigerian authorities. Mr Garga, a Fulani man from Taraba State, was forced to join Mamman Nur three years ago after his cows were seized by Boko Haram on the fringes of the Lake Chad.

“The terrorist group trained Garga on how to fight and engage in combat operations. He also possessed an extraordinary ability to know the terrain because he was a herdsman, which made him reach the level of a commanding officer in the Mamman Nur faction.

“Garga was not interested in holding captives for ransom like others. What was paramount to him was getting his livestock back and continuing the life of a herdsman and being allowed to reunite with his family,” One source added.

According to the source, before Mr Garga was killed, he was in touch with a foreign influencer who planned to rescue him and others. It is not yet clear if the Nigerian military themselves were negotiating with him.