ABUJA, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Nigeria's secret police said it arrested two suspected commanders of the terror group Boko Haram in an operation early Friday.
In a statement signed by its spokesman Tony Opuiyo, the secret police said the two suspects were arrested in the northwestern state of Sokoto.
Their mission, according to the secret police, was to stage a series of attacks using explosives in different cities across the West African country, especially during the Eid al-Fitr celebrations.
The secret police said the terror group had planned to hit soft targets such as markets, public parks, recreation centers and worship centers, especially the praying grounds and other densely populated areas during the celebration.
The police had last Tuesday arrested an explosive expert who worked for Boko Haram in the northwestern state of Kano.
Nigeria has made a considerable gain on the Boko Haram front, with its security forces operating in the restive region dislodging Boko Haram fighters from the Sambisa Forest, the group's largest training camp in the country, in January.
At least 1,400 suspected members of Boko Haram are currently held in a detention center in the country's northeast region.
Boko Haram has been blamed for the deaths of more than 20,000 people and displacing of 2.3 million others in Nigeria since their insurgency started in 2009.
