Military reveals Boko Haram’s tricks to use mechanics, others to deploy IEDs

In the aftermath of the heavy casualties inflicted on Boko Haram insurgents in recent weeks, indications have emerged that the group is

recruiting auto-mechanic and car wash operators across the country to use their centres as loading bays to plant Intelligent Electronic Device, IEDs, on vehicles of unsuspecting members of the public to cause havoc.

The objective is to hit at some top government establishments and functionaries as well as military and police locations in other parts of the country outside the North East, epicentre of the insurgency, to divert attention from the increasingly successful onslaught on the group in recent days.

Towards this end, intelligence sources told Vanguard that the Boko Haram group had infiltrated the ranks of many of the operators and bought them over with very mouth-watering sums of money to look the other way when the explosives were being planted on the vehicles.

According to the source, the terrorists, knowing that many vehicle owners hardly find time to spend with their mechanics or car wash operators, have concluded the plot to fix improvised explosive devices on such vehicles while they are with the mechanic or cash wash.

“When the unsuspecting owner of the car comes to carry his or her car, he will drive off with an explosives laden car that has been programmed to explode within minutes or an hour as the case maybe and in the process, be killed by the explosion, the source said.

A signal confirming this development and addressed to all military formations in the country said: “Boko Haram infiltrates auto-mechanic and car wash centres.”
It said the group was planning to use vehicles of unsuspecting members of the public, especially prominent persons and top functionaries as bomb  carriers.

Targets of such dastardly plots, according to the signal, are official government quarters, military barracks and public centres.
The military urged the public, vehicles owners and users to be vigilant and watchful, especially when giving and collecting their vehicles from auto-mechanic and car wash centres.