Col. Aminu Iliyasu, Army Operations Media Coordinator, in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja, said the troops arrested a pickup truck conveying three adult females, 15 adult males and three rustled cows during a clearance operation at Mada in Konduga Local Government Area of Borno State.
According to him, the suspects claimed they were of the Shuwa extraction, but the locals in the area denied them, adding that none of the suspects could speak any of the local languages.
Iliyasu said preliminary investigation revealed that one of the suspects and a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) operating in the state had been communicating at various times.
He added that investigation further revealed that the suspect was on WhatsApp chat platform with the NGO.
Te federal government has been complaining of humanitarian agencies aiding Boko Haram’s violence in the northeast.