YOLA, Nigeria (AP) Vigilantes helped arrest at least 11 members of the Islamic sect in Nigeria's northeast and four of the suspects died in custody, a military official said Sunday.
The Boko Haram members were arrested Saturday in the town of Michika in Adamawa state, said Lt. Col. BeyidiMartins, the commanding officer of the battalion meant to help capture those in the Islamic sect.
Six of the suspects were brought to Maiduguri, the birthplace of Boko Haram some years ago, and the other five were brought to Mubi. He said that four of the five who were brought to Mubi were beaten by the vigilante group because they tried to resist arrest. He said two of the suspects died Saturday because of their injuries.
"Two others died today (Sunday) of injuries. We now have one still alive and is being interrogated," Beyidi said.
The Civilian Joint Task Force is a vigilante group formed by residents to combat the Boko Haram network, which has launched attacks that have killed more than 1,700 since 2010 in Nigeria, according to an Associated Press count.
The cooperation between the military and vigilante group comes a day after police said members of Civilian-JTF beat and killed a policeman in Maiduguri after one of their members was shot by police.
