The Joint Task Force (JTF) in Borno State has
claimed it had killed Momodu Bama, second-
in-command to the Boko Haram leader,
Abubakar Shekau, during a recent
confrontation in the state. The task force also claimed that Bama’s father,
Abatcha Flatari, a spiritual leader of the sect,
was also killed during the confrontation. The JTF claimed that Bama and his father were
killed in a counter attack in Bama, when the
sect attacked the riot police base in Bama,
headquarters of Bama Local Government Area
of the state on August 4, adding that the
killing was contrary to report in some quarters that another Muhammad Bama, on whose
head a bounty of N10 million was placed, was
killed in Mubi, Adamawa State. Spokesman of the JTF, Lt. Col. Sagir Musa,
while confirming the killing said Momodu was
killed along with his father during an attack
on police base, adding that even before his
killing, the JTF had placed N25 million bounty
on his head and not N10 million as claimed by the report. Defending why the JTF have not said anything
about it since Bama’s killing, Musa said it took
the JTF this long to break the news of the
killing of Bama and his father to the media
because they wanted to be sure they were
actually the ones fell in the confrontation in order to guard against misinformation. Musa, showing a flyer where Bama and his
leader, Abubakar Shekau, were declared
wanted with bounties of N25 million and N50
million respectively, said Bama was the
second-in-command to Shekau and next in
notoriety to the sect leader. The JTF spokesman stated that Momodu was
an indigene of Bama town and a member of
the Boko Haram Shurra committee (decision-
making or highest body of the sect), adding
that he was a tall, slim and dark man, who
spoke Kanuri, Hausa, Arabic and English languages well. He added that Bama was one of the most
vicious and heartless killers in the group with
a penchant for slaughtering his victims. The spokesman said the father of the slain
Boko Haram sect leader, Abatcha Flatari, was
one of the spiritual mentors of the Boko
Haram terrorists in charge of indoctrinating
child foot soldiers, who were in most cases
abducted. Musa, however, assured residents of the state
that major roads and GSM lines would soon be
opened, noting that the security situation was
improving. Also confirming the killing of Bama, the
Director of Defence Information (DDI), Brig-
Gen. Chris Olukolade, disclosed that Bama was
killed during a shoot-out with the troops of
JTF who were determined to dislodge the
terrorists, who recently massacred about 60 people in some parts of Borno State. “As troops intensify pursuit of terrorists who
have been unleashing mayhem in Borno and
Yobe communities, the death of Momodu
Bama, said to be the second-in-command to
the leader of Shekau, has been confirmed by
other arrested terrorists. “This followed encounters with the terrorists
around the Bama corridor. Momodu Bama has
been personally leading the attacks against
troops and innocent citizens in the
communities of Yobe and Adamawa,”
Olukolade said. The slain leader of the insurgents was said to
have assumed his current duties, when the
former second-in-command to Mohammed
Marwana, broke ranks with Shekau into a rival
Boko Haram sect that was alleged to be
negotiating with Alhaji Taminu Turaki-led Presidential Committee on Dialogue and
Peaceful Resolution on Security Challenges in
the North (Amnesty Committee).
