Bahna Fanaye, a key Boko Haram leader was arrested in N'Djamena, Chad on Sunday, June 28. Recent evidence attained by Chadian prosecutors shows that Fanaye was in charge of weapons trafficking and in the recruitment of soldiers for Boko Haram, a jihadist extremist military group. The Associated Press reported on Wednesday, July 1 that Fanaye, whose alias is Mahamat Moustapha was in charge of trafficking illegal weapons between Nigeria, Cameroon, and Chad.
The news of Fanaye's capture was confirmed by Alghassim Khamis, a Chadian public prosecutor on Tuesday, June 30. Khamis said that weapons, communication goods, and documents written by Abubakar Shekau, the leader of Boko Haram were found in a search and seizure conducted at Fanaye's residence. The documents were written in Arabic and entailed information about the recruitment of soldiers. AP reports that more than 50 SIM cards were found at Fanaye's home.
Fanaye's arrest on Sunday led to the capture of seven other militants, one of which is believed to be in charge of managing finances. Khamis said that 74 suspects were arrested following the June 15th attack in N'Damena which "killed 38 people and injured 100 others."
Boko Haram translates to "Western education is forbidden" in the English language. It is a branch of ISIS & the Levant, a group of militants run by Sunni Muslims. Human Rights Watch reported in 2014 that Boko Haram killed more than 5,000 people and burned down more than 300 schools, depriving over 10,000 students of education. Since then, the death toll and damage to properties have nearly doubled.
