Aliyu Tashaku, the Boko Haram Commander believed to be the mastermind of the gruesome killings in Benue state since the beginning of the year who was captured on Friday by troops of the Nigeria army once shared a cell with the late founder of the insurgent group, Mohammed Yusuf, according to Ahmad Salkida, a journalist with close ties with the terror group.
The army arrested Tashaku, who is head of Benue livestock guards, the group enforcing compliance of the anti-grazing law in the state, on Friday.
Salkida had three months ago alerted the public that the insurgent leader escaped from Boko Haram camp, according to various media reports.
In an article entitled ‘The Nigerian killing fields’, he stated that the leadership of the sect accused Tashaku of disappearing with Boko Haram’s arms budget.
“Curiously, Benue state is host to self-help militias in north-central Nigeria, where a self-confessed member of the Boko Haram sect, Aliyu Tashaku, is now recognized by the state as a leader of a vigilante group. His militia is saddled with the responsibility of protecting the people of the state against what is widely known as armed Fulani herdsmen who have been on the loose killing and maiming,” Salkida wrote.
“By the way, Tashaku was detained for several months at the police headquarters in Abuja for unstated reasons. The leadership of the Boko Haram, sometimes in 2011, had accused him of eloping with their arms budget in 2009. Many criminals apparently are working hand in hand with those in power across the country.”
Salkida had said there was a growing incidence of senior members of Boko Haram deserting the group after falling out with its leaders.
In a brief statement after Tashakau was arrested, Salkida said the late Yusuf briefly shared a cell with the Benue militia leader.
“Late Mohammed Yusuf was detained briefly in a cell with Aliyu Tashaku in Abuja and Yusuf preached to all the detainees and Tashaku was amongst the few that accepted Islam at the time,” the statement read.
“He was released before late Yusuf and was told in the cell by late Yusuf to specifically find Journalist Ahmad Salkida to write more about his incarceration Tashaku met me in Maiduguri, I was a reporter with the Daily Trust then and I wrote about Yusuf’s detention and introduced Tashaku to two other journalists at his insistence.
“I have not seen Tashaku since then, but know and met people that have either worked with him or lived with him.”