THE Department of Security Service (DSS) recently averted what would have caused an unprecedented monumental carnage by the Boko Haram insurgents in Lagos.
A source from the DSS Headquarters revealed to our Reporter that the security agency made timely intervention when it received intelligence report on some persons who were moved into Lagos from the North on suspicious mission being calculated to disrupt the existing peace and security in the state.
The source from the DSS Headquarters narrated that the Boko Haram suspects had disguised as supporters of a particular political party and joined the entourage of the political party to Lagos during one of the parties’ National Convention held in the city. The suspects were said to have stayed back after the campaign rally and attempting to mingle among northern fruit sellers in Lagos metropolis to understudy busy and densely populated locations in the city for their target.
They were also said to be detected by northern traders in Lagos. The source at the DSS Headquarters disclosed that some of the northern fruit street sellers who were placed on local intelligence by the agency began to notice the strange faces and their abnormal behaviours, urgently alerted the agency which went into swift action to apprehend them. The suspects had attempted to join the street traders in selling fruits like garden egg, carrots, pineapple, water melon, cucumber, among others, to allow them free movement in different locations of the city and the suburb.
The suspects were said to have been arrested in Lagos but have been transferred to the DSS Headquarters. “The DSS intervened promptly, nabbed the suspects who gave useful information during preliminary interrogation that would help in further investigations and subsequently transferred them to the headquarters,” our source who sought anonymity said. The suspects were said to be cooperating with the security agency in the investigations towards revelation of persons behind their operations, among others. She, however, assured that when investigations are concluded, the agency would take appropriate actions of either prosecuting the suspects in court if found wanton or release them if convinced otherwise. The DSS was said to be speeding up the Investigations and would make public its findings, while promising Nigerians that the agency will increase its intelligence capacity in the fight against terrorism in all parts of the country.
Meanwhile, it was alleged that some politicians have been lobbying the DSS not to reveal the news of the Boko Haram arrest in Lagos State; their identities were, however, not disclosed.
There have been series of aborted plans by Boko Haram to attack Lagos over the years.It will be recalled that Muhammed Sulaiman, Boko Haram Leader, who was arrested at Farawa Babbam Layi, Maiduguri Road, Kano, about two years ago, while being interrogated at the Headquarters of State Security Service (SSS), Abuja,confessed that he was the coordinator of a planned attack on strategic locations in Lagos and other parts of South-West.He had purportedly mentioned a five star hotel, Tafawa Balewa Square, a popular church and market on Lagos Island and a new generation mega-bank as targets of the Boko Haram planned targets.
The Ogbomosho, Oyo State, born terrorist was quoted as saying: “We decided to move our attack temporarily from the North to the South starting from Lagos. We realized that Lagos is Nigeria's most important commercial city; events that happen in Lagos have more impact than anywhere in the country. If we hit Lagos, Nigeria will shake; imagine if we had carried out our plan to bomb churches in Lagos,” an informed security source has quoted Sulaiman, adding: “We had identified some important locations where we will hit in other to gain maximum attention. We listed Tafawa Balewa Square, a busy market in the Island, popular churches, hotel and a new generation bank. We wanted to start bombing Lagos.”
Sulaiman further gave details of the next stage of their terrorism plans. He claimed that “they have infiltrated some places in Lagos where they now have their agents working for Boko Haram. Boko Haram is not strictly a Hausa or Northern Group per se, it is an Islamic consciousness group made up of Muslims from across the country. Some Boko Haram members are Yoruba, Ibo, Ijaw even Efik.”
Sulaiman said the sect had decided to take the attack to the South in order to prove that Boko Haram is a national movement, not a Hausa militant group per se, it was then revealed.
A caller to an African Independent Television (AIT) phone-in programme, who claimed he was speaking for the Islamic sect, had at that period allegedly issued a 72-hour ultimatum after which the sect would attack Abuja and Lagos State. The caller to the phone-in programmehad demanded that President Goodluck Jonathan personally and unconditionally meet with leaders of the sect in Yobe State to discuss terms of a ceasefire failing which Boko Haram would unleash more terror on Abuja and Lagos State then. In a seeming reaction to the caller's statement on AIT, a statement allegedly from Boko Haram, however, later disowned the caller as an imposter.
Moreover, expressing displeasure at the arrest which he considered unfortunate, Sulaiman had said the plot by the Boko Haram to carry out violent attacks in the southern part of the country was being frustrated by security agencies. The sect, he explained, had chosen some southern cities such as Lagos, Ibadan, Enugu, Onitsha and Warri for attacks.
Security sources had said that there is the likelihood that some sponsors of Boko Haram are Southerners.
Part of the Boko Haram target in Lagos then was the Third Mainland Bridge. The Third Mainland Bridge is the longest of the three bridges connecting Lagos Island to the mainland. The other two are the Eko and Carter Bridges. It is the longest bridge in Africa. The bridge, which has about 350,000 daily users, is also a vital link to Lekki, Ajah and Epe communities. Midway through the bridge, there is a link to Herbert Macaulay Way, Yaba. The bridge starts really from Oworonsoki, which is linked to the OshodiApapa Expressway and Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, and ends at the Adeniji -Adele Interchange on Lagos Island. Built by Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, the bridge was commissioned by former Military President Ibrahim Babangida in 1990 and it measures about 11.8 km in length.
It is feared that if Lagos Third Mainland Bridge is destroyed, Lagos and indeed Nigeria, are destroyed. It was estimated that the cache of arms seized from the insurgents when it was reported that Boko Haram entered Lagos was capable of wreaking havoc on the vital bridge in the heart of Lagos.
It will also be recalled that Sarkin Hausawa of Lagos, Alhaji Sani Kabir, had in the past,revealed that northerners in the South West arrested over 1,000 members of the Boko Haram insurgents in several parts of the South West.
Meanwhile, it was alleged that some politicians have been lobbying the DSS not to reveal the news of the Boko Haram arrest in Lagos State; their identities were, however, not disclosed.
There have been series of aborted plans by Boko Haram to attack Lagos over the years.It will be recalled that Muhammed Sulaiman, Boko Haram Leader, who was arrested at Farawa Babbam Layi, Maiduguri Road, Kano, about two years ago, while being interrogated at the Headquarters of State Security Service (SSS), Abuja,confessed that he was the coordinator of a planned attack on strategic locations in Lagos and other parts of South-West.He had purportedly mentioned a five star hotel, Tafawa Balewa Square, a popular church and market on Lagos Island and a new generation mega-bank as targets of the Boko Haram planned targets.
The Ogbomosho, Oyo State, born terrorist was quoted as saying: “We decided to move our attack temporarily from the North to the South starting from Lagos. We realized that Lagos is Nigeria's most important commercial city; events that happen in Lagos have more impact than anywhere in the country. If we hit Lagos, Nigeria will shake; imagine if we had carried out our plan to bomb churches in Lagos,” an informed security source has quoted Sulaiman, adding: “We had identified some important locations where we will hit in other to gain maximum attention. We listed Tafawa Balewa Square, a busy market in the Island, popular churches, hotel and a new generation bank. We wanted to start bombing Lagos.”
Sulaiman further gave details of the next stage of their terrorism plans. He claimed that “they have infiltrated some places in Lagos where they now have their agents working for Boko Haram. Boko Haram is not strictly a Hausa or Northern Group per se, it is an Islamic consciousness group made up of Muslims from across the country. Some Boko Haram members are Yoruba, Ibo, Ijaw even Efik.”
Sulaiman said the sect had decided to take the attack to the South in order to prove that Boko Haram is a national movement, not a Hausa militant group per se, it was then revealed.
A caller to an African Independent Television (AIT) phone-in programme, who claimed he was speaking for the Islamic sect, had at that period allegedly issued a 72-hour ultimatum after which the sect would attack Abuja and Lagos State. The caller to the phone-in programmehad demanded that President Goodluck Jonathan personally and unconditionally meet with leaders of the sect in Yobe State to discuss terms of a ceasefire failing which Boko Haram would unleash more terror on Abuja and Lagos State then. In a seeming reaction to the caller's statement on AIT, a statement allegedly from Boko Haram, however, later disowned the caller as an imposter.
Moreover, expressing displeasure at the arrest which he considered unfortunate, Sulaiman had said the plot by the Boko Haram to carry out violent attacks in the southern part of the country was being frustrated by security agencies. The sect, he explained, had chosen some southern cities such as Lagos, Ibadan, Enugu, Onitsha and Warri for attacks.
Security sources had said that there is the likelihood that some sponsors of Boko Haram are Southerners.
Part of the Boko Haram target in Lagos then was the Third Mainland Bridge. The Third Mainland Bridge is the longest of the three bridges connecting Lagos Island to the mainland. The other two are the Eko and Carter Bridges. It is the longest bridge in Africa. The bridge, which has about 350,000 daily users, is also a vital link to Lekki, Ajah and Epe communities. Midway through the bridge, there is a link to Herbert Macaulay Way, Yaba. The bridge starts really from Oworonsoki, which is linked to the OshodiApapa Expressway and Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, and ends at the Adeniji -Adele Interchange on Lagos Island. Built by Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, the bridge was commissioned by former Military President Ibrahim Babangida in 1990 and it measures about 11.8 km in length.
It is feared that if Lagos Third Mainland Bridge is destroyed, Lagos and indeed Nigeria, are destroyed. It was estimated that the cache of arms seized from the insurgents when it was reported that Boko Haram entered Lagos was capable of wreaking havoc on the vital bridge in the heart of Lagos.
It will also be recalled that Sarkin Hausawa of Lagos, Alhaji Sani Kabir, had in the past,revealed that northerners in the South West arrested over 1,000 members of the Boko Haram insurgents in several parts of the South West.
Kabir, speaking when the Arewa Council of Chiefs in the South West paid a visit to the then Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, Alhaji Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, SAN, in Abuja, had said that the arrests were made at different times. He maintained that those arrested were Boko Haram members who fled from the Civilian JTF/military onslaught on the insurgents in the North East and those who came to the South West to perpetuate the insurgency.
Kabir, then, said the Council has taken it upon itself to ensure that Boko Haram did not take root in the South West because according to him, such a development would complicate the security challenges facing Nigeria.
“We informed our leaders that when new people come into their midst, they should observe their behaviour. Some of the leaders in the south west are northerners, some of them are from Borno State, they can know. There were even instances where JTF came from Borno State to identify some of them,” Kabir explained on the procedure they adopted in arresting the over 1,000 Boko Haram insurgents in Lagos then.
Our source from the DSS Headquarters acknowledged that the same intelligence procedure that Sarkin Hausawa of Lagos, Alhaji Sani Kabir, narrated in the arrest of the over 1,000 Boko Haram insurgents assisted the DSS in the arrest in Lagos.
She, however, declined to disclose the number of insurgents arrested, appealing for time to allow investigations go on smoothly, adding that the figure would be revealed when investigations are concluded.CULLED
*Thank God ooo*
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