The Borno State Police Command has apprehended four individuals “in connection to an attempt to burn the Mafa IDP camp” in Mafa Local Government Area of the state.
Those detained were Malum Usman, 16; Bulama Bukar, 14; and Rawa Usman, 11; alongside their purported sponsor, Babagana Umar, 40.
The state government, perturbed by the increasing incidents of IDP camp fires, pledged to apprehend and prosecute those responsible.
The state Commissioner for Information and Internal Security, Prof Usman Tar, previously raised concerns about a potential conspiracy involving certain NGOs.
However, during the parade of suspects in Maiduguri, the state command’s spokesman, ASP Nahum Daso, omitted any mention of an NGO sponsoring the act.
According to Daso, the suspects were apprehended with matches while attempting to set a house ablaze in the camp, based on a report from a hunters group in Mafa.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the trio were allegedly contracted by Babagana Umar, a firewood seller at Muna garage area Maiduguri, to commit the act for a fee of N10,000.
Umar denied the allegations, claiming he was praying in the mosque when he was arrested and insisting on his innocence.
He expressed willingness to swear by the Holy Quran to prove his innocence, but he was not given the opportunity to do so.
