Fifty suspected members of Boko Haram group were arrested Wednesday by troops in northeastern Nigeria's state of Borno, epicenter of violence in Africa's most populous country, a top military officer said.
The terror suspects were nabbed when a truck conveying them was intercepted by troops in Biu area of the northern state, said the source who wanted to be anonymous.
The suspects, who had already made confessional statements, were whisked to a detention center in Biu, the source told Xinhua, noting they were in transit to Gombe, a neighboring northeastern state, when a youth vigilante group alerted the security operatives.
In their confessional statements, the suspects, aged between 18 and 25, said they were all on the run following the killing of one of their leaders in a crossfire with security operatives last week, the source added.
Analysts say this development further confirms the recent progress in Nigeria's counter-terrorism approach in ending the five-year insurgency of Boko Haram, a group which has proved to be a major security threat in the West African country.
On Sunday, the Nigerian Defense Headquarters via a statement confirmed that some Boko Haram fighters had begun to surrender with their weapons voluntarily, following relentless onslaught by troops.
The terrorists surrendered on Saturday, pleading for mercy, the statement said.
At least 13 insurgents were also killed in a crossfire with Nigerian forces after a local market was attacked in the same northeastern state last Friday.
Boko Haram seeks to enshrine the Islamic Sharia law in the Nigerian constitution.(Xinhua)
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