Troops of the Nigerian Army have arrested a suspected spy allegedly linked to Islamic State West Africa Province in the Kanama area of Yobe State.
According to Zagazola Makama, a security publication focused on the Lake Chad region, the suspect identified as Malam Fantami was arrested during a security operation conducted by troops of the 159 Battalion in collaboration with members of the Civilian Joint Task Force.
Sources familiar with the operation said Fantami, who is said to be a native of Dikwa, was intercepted after intelligence suggested he might be working as an informant for terrorists linked to ISWAP.
Items reportedly recovered from the suspect at the time of arrest included a mobile phone, a smartwatch, prayer beads, a motorcycle key and N7,000 in cash.
Security personnel who carried out a preliminary check on the suspect’s phone reportedly discovered materials considered suspicious, including photographs of motorcycles, large amounts of cash and AK-47 rifles.
“The discovery of these materials has raised serious suspicion about the suspect’s role as a possible logistics informant or intelligence asset for insurgent elements operating in the region,” one of the sources said.
The suspect is currently in military custody and undergoing further interrogation to determine the extent of his alleged involvement with terrorist networks and to identify possible collaborators.
The arrest forms part of ongoing counter-terrorism operations by troops in Nigeria’s North-East aimed at dismantling the intelligence and logistics networks supporting insurgent groups.
Kanama, located in Yunusari Local Government Area near the Niger Republic border, has often been used as a corridor for the movement and supply of insurgent groups operating in the region.
