boko haram issues fresh warnings as it claimed the killing of journalist spying on them

THE Islamic fundamentalist sect, Boko Haram, on Monday, issued a fresh warning that the group would not hesitate to kill anybody that stepped on its toes.
The group’s spokesperson, Abdul-Qaqa, according to an online medium, claimed responsibility for the killing of Zakariyya Isa, a cameraman with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) Maiduguri Network Centre and further threatened not to take it lightly with whosoever dared it.
The sect said that “Zakariyya was responsible for his actions and the consequences that followed. Nobody, no matter can go free if he or she spies on us.”
“Zakariyya gave information to security agents that led to the arrest of many of our members. We sent him a text message and told him that we would visit him. We killed him not because he was a journalist, but because of his personal misconduct. His actions were against the ethics of his profession.
“And I want to tell you that we have no grudge against journalists that are working in line with the professional provisions of their work. Whenever they misquote or misrepresent our position, we normally call them and tell them to correct the error.”
Abdul-Qaqa stated further that “the group will not hesitate to kill anybody that steps on our toes. Zakariyya was responsible for his actions and the consequences that followed.”
Abdul-Qaqa, who said Boko Haram was responsible for Saturday night’s multiple attacks on a police station and banks in Saminaka, Kaduna State, as well as last week’s attack on a mobile police barracks in Kwami, Gombe State, added that the group was not ready to talk with the government and security agents.
“The group will continue to attack government and security formations in Nigeria. We cannot talk or dialogue with them because it makes no sense to us. How can you talk of dialogue when government and security agencies are busy arresting and persecuting our members?”
The online medium said when it contacted the Borno State Police Commissioner, Simeon Midenda by phone, the police boss said he was in Abuja.
Also, Colonel Victor Ebhaleme, the head of field operations of the JTF, did not answer a call to his line.
The killing of Zakariyya had sent jitters down the nerves of journalists in Maiduguri, with many thinking of how to strike a balance in covering the crisis in the state. The late Zakariyya, who worked as a cameraman and Hausa translator at the NTA, was shot at close range on Saturday night in front of his house at Bulunkutu area of Maiduguri. Witnesses said two gunmen walked to the house and shot him in the head and chest before they fled.
A native of Potiskum Local Government Area of Yobe State, Zakariyya had worked at the Maiduguri network centre of the NTA for many years. He was married with children.
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