Defence Headquarters yesterday announced the arrest of a Chinese national during a counter-terrorism operation conducted by troops in Borno State.
Although the identity of the foreigner was not disclosed, the military said the individual, who claimed to be a miner, is currently in custody and undergoing interrogation.
This development came less than a week after the military revealed that it had apprehended four Pakistani nationals in the region, allegedly involved in training terrorists.
Speaking at a briefing yesterday in Abuja, the Director, Defence Media Operations, Major-General Markus Kangye, said five terrorists logistics suppliers were also arrested.
“Troops arrested five logistics suppliers, collaborators and a Chinese national claiming to be a miner during well-coordinated operations in Kukawa and Ngala Local Government Areas of Borno State, as well as Geidam Local Government Area of Yobe State between June 5 and 7. Amongst the items recovered were a vehicle, motorcycle, mobile phones, Chinese international passport, while N10,000 was also recovered from them,” Kangye revealed.
Kangye questioned the suspect’s presence in an area under military operation.
“Anybody that is caught, just like you know with criminals, they will deny involvement. But the question is: what brought him there at the time of arrest? Why was he in an operational area where our troops were conducting operations?” he stated.
Kangye assured journalists that a full investigation is underway to determine the suspect’s intentions and possible link to insurgent groups.
“The Chinese national has been detained and is undergoing interrogation. Once investigation is concluded, we will furnish the public with full details—why he was there, how he was arrested and whether he had accomplices,” he added.
He also dismissed claims that troops are often slow in responding to distress calls during attacks, especially in remote communities.
Kangye described the allegation as misleading, noting that logistical realities such as difficult terrain and the need for coordination affect response times.
“People must understand that our troops are not in every village. Sometimes, incidents occur 10 to 15 kilometres from the nearest military base. Before deployment, the appropriate subunit must be identified, a commander appointed and vehicles and supplies secured. All of this takes time,” Kangye said.
He likened the situation to a hospital attending to multiple patients with varying degrees of urgency.
“You might feel neglected if you don’t understand the internal priorities, but it does not mean action is not being taken, “he added.
Kangye maintained that all distress calls are being addressed and assured the public of the military’s commitment to protect citizens and neutralise threats.
“Let us not rush to label our troops slow. They are working under tough conditions and I can assure you that they respond when called upon,” Kangye said.
