The trial of five policemen alleged to have participated in the extrajudicial killing of Boko Haram sect leader Mohamed Yusuf and his followers during the Maiduguri crisis in July 2009 began in Abuja yesterday with a military witness testifying that Mohammed Yusuf was alive when he was captured by the army and handed over to the police.Colonel Benjamin Ahanotu, who was at that time serving as Chief of Staff 21 Brigade Maiduguri, told the Federal High Court that he arrested Yusuf on July 30 after he received intelligence report on his hideout.He however added that Yusuf was handed over to Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) J. B Abang, one of the accused persons, who went to the Brigade Headquarters in company of other policemen to pick up the sect leader after interrogation was concluded. He identified before the court a photocopy of the handing over document.He said, 'On July 30 2009, I was in an operation where I got intelligence report on the hideout of the sect leader Mohammed Yusuf. I immediately stormed the place with my troops and I was able to pick him up. I took him to my headquarters where I interrogated him. Bearing in mind that investigation was on going, I handed him over to the police.'He said besides an injury Yusuf had on his left arm at the time of his arrest, he was in proper condition when he was handed over to ACP Abang.When asked how he could tell that the man he arrested was Yusuf, Ahanotu said, 'I knew he was the one because I had met him once. I invited him to my headquarters for an interview with reference to a letter forwarded to me through the Government House from the Presidency asking me to use every possible means to bring him and his sect members to order, since they were making Maiduguri unsafe for innocent citizens.'{pullquote}besides an injury Yusuf had on his left arm at the time of his arrest, he was in proper condition when he was handed over{/pullquote}Another witness, DSP Abdul Aziz told the court that on July 30 he saw a corpse at the Mobile Barracks which was identified as Yusuf's. He however added that he was unsure if it was Yusuf's or another person's.He similarly said he did not see any of the accused persons shooting anyone. Aziz said he had no idea how the man identified as Yusuf was killed.It will be recalled that one of the accused persons, Sgt Adamu Gado had admitted that other policemen and himself participated in the extrajudicial killing of Yusuf and his followers during the crisis.Gado, who is standing trial alongside Abang, ACP Akeera, ASP Mada Buba and CSP Mohammed Ahmadu, was said to have admitted his culpability in a statement he made before a police investigative panel on March 3, 2010.He said, 'At the Force Headquarters, I was shown a clip of Boko Haram members lying on the ground with policemen firing at them. I saw myself firing too.'The statement which was reproduced by Justice Donatus Okorowo in court and was filed as evidence by prosecuting Counsel R. N Ojabo. The case has been adjourned till December 7 and 8 for continuation.In July 2009, military authorities reportedly arrested the Boko Haram leader Mohammed Yusuf and the sect's alleged financier Buji Foi, a former commissioner for religious affairs in Borno state, after clashes erupted in Maiduguri, Borno State between security forces and the Boko Haram sect resulting in more than 1000 deaths. Shortly after, police reported that Yusuf was killed during a 'shoot out' between the sect and the police; they later claimed that he was shot while 'trying to escape.' However, video clips posted on You Tube showed Yusuf being interrogated by soldiers after his arrest.
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