ABUJA, Nigeria, Feb. 2 (UPI) -- The spokesman for Boko Haram, the Islamist extremist group responsible for violent attacks in Nigeria, has been arrested, an official said.
Ahmed Abdullahi, State Security Service director in Maiduguri, Borno state, said Boko Haram spokesman Abdul Qaqa was reportedly arrested early Wednesday with help from a Global Positioning System, The (Lagos) Guardian reported.
Qaqa was in custody at security service headquarters in Abuja, Abdullahi said.
Qaqa is a Nigerian citizen from Kogi State and a native of Igala in Central Nigeria, the Guardian said.
The spokesman reportedly issued threats from Boko Haram preceding attacks, including one Jan. 20 in Kano, Nigeria's second-most populous state, that killed more than 185 people.
Qaqa recently threatened an attack in Sokoto unless officials release Boko Haram members.
Attacks by Boko Haram, whose name means "Western education is forbidden," have killed more than 2,000 people in northern Nigeria, said Alhaji Aliko Muhammed, chairman of the Arewa Consultative Forum, a political and cultural association of leaders in northern Nigeria.
The ACF appealed to the government Wednesday "to persevere, uncover the true identity of these people [Boko Haram members], to be able to determine their demands or grievances and address those that may be genuine and in accordance with our laws."
