Fear gripped many residents of Lagos on Thursday when news filtered in that troops numbering about 100 stormed terror suspects’ hideouts in Ijora, a densely populated part of the city.

The soldiers, who were assisted by men of the State Security Service, were believed to have acted on a tip-off. They were said to have arrived in the area around 7am in search of the suspects said to be members of an Islamic fundamentalist sect, Boko Haram.

It was learnt that their search yielded fruits when two persons were arrested at 24 Aromire Street and three others at a location in an adjacent street.

The soldiers then ransacked the building at Aromire Street where one of the arrested persons, Ibrahim Musa, occupies five rooms. A bomb kept in a cooler and hidden inside the ceiling of one of the rooms in Musa’s apartment was recovered by the soldiers.

Musa, who a security source described as an illegal alien from Chad, was said to be leader of the suspects.

Other items found were AK-47 rifles, cartridges and daggers.

The security source, who craved anonymity, added the raid was as a result of an investigation which began a month ago.

He said, “Security agents got information a month ago that there was a terrorist hideout in the Seven-Up area of Ijora. Although we were not sure if they were Boko Haram members or not, we did not want to take any chances so we decided to go and raid the place.

“It was discovered that the place was being run by a Chadian and arms were recovered during the raid, including AK-47 riffles. Investigations are ongoing and those who are found not culpable will be released.”

Musa’s neighbour, who craved anonymity, told one of our correspondents that they did not suspect he was a member of Boko Haram.

He said the suspect moved into the house less than three months ago.

“Musa rented his apartment about three months ago. However, since he moved in with his wife, who recently had a baby and a brother, none of them had any known form of livelihood. Musa and his brother, particularly were always going about with their laptops and expensive phones.

“Though he (Musa) was not working, he was usually the first to pay for anything in the house. It was when the soldiers came that we got to know what they truly are. It was in the course of beating him (Musa) that he told the soldiers where he hid the bomb and guns.”

Another resident of the area, who identified himself simply as Olu, said that when the suspects were being taken away by the soldiers “we did not know they were living here.”

“When soldiers were taking them away, we wondered if they were living in the neighbourhood. It was my neighbour, who told me he had seen Musa once or twice,” he said.

Olu said when the soldiers were going, they told them to be vigilant in the area, saying Boko Haram members had infiltrated the area, particularly the Hausa settlement.

When one of our correspondents met the Ojora of Ijora , Oba Fatai Adeyinka, he said he was shocked that Boko Haram members had infiltrated the area.

The spokesman for the Army 81 Division, Colonel Kingsley Umoh, confirmed the raid but said the army had been carrying out constant raids across the state in response to the rising level of insecurity in the country.

Umoh said over 36 people had been arrested recently. He however said he had yet to receive the details of Thursday’s operation.

Source : www.reportnaija..com/2013/03/boko-haram-caught-in-lagos-ijora-today.html



Another Source: http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/suspected-boko-haram-members-arrested-in-lagos/142896/

The fear that the ongoing violence in some northern states may spread southwards thursday prompted security agents to launch a pre-emptive raid on hideouts of suspected criminals in Lagos.
In an operation carried out by men and officers of the Operation Mesa (OP Mesa), a joint security outfit comprising members of the armed forces and those of the State Security Service (SSS), they raided Ijora 7-UP area of the state and arrested some suspected Boko Haram members.
This is coming barely weeks after the state government stormed the area with a contingent of riot policemen and bulldozers to demolish many homes and shanties suspected to be harbouring criminals.

Although THISDAY could not confirm the number of persons arrested, sources said devices suspected to be explosives were also recovered during the raid.
However, sources said the SSS arrested two persons, a northerner and a man who claimed to be a Chadian, who were allegedly whisked away to Abuja for further interrogation.

The suspects were said to have concealed some devices suspected to be explosives in boxes, which were stacked in the ceiling of a house they were occupying. Also recovered alongside the suspected explosives were two AK47 rifles.

The recovery of the explosives was said to have caused pandemonium among residents of Ijora Badia area, prompting the monarch of the area, Oba Fatai Ojora, to begin investigations to identify the owner of the house in which the suspects were arrested.
But THISDAY gathered from sources that the landlord of the house rented the house to the suspects about one month ago without an inkling that they were into some nefarious business.

Last month, three persons said to be members of Shiite sect were arrested in Ilorin, as they were planning to attack some Israeli and American interests in Lagos.
The group is led by a local Shiite leader from Ilorin, who received training in Iran in armed combat and the use of improvised explosive devices.

The group was planning attacks on the Lagos offices of the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Haifa-based ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Ltd. and the Jewish Cultural Centre.
Speaking to THISDAY on the phone, the spokesperson, 81 Division, Nigerian Army, Colonel Kingsley Umoh, confirmed the raid although he could not confirm if the suspects were Boko Haram members as speculated.
Umoh said although the raid was a routine one similar to those carried out occasionally in Mushin and Agege as well as other parts of the state, yesterday's raid was based on a tip off from sources.

He said: "The Op Mesa as you know is a joint security body and they carried out their routine raids yesterday and made some arrests. The raids are simply a part of those that are carried out everyday based on information at our disposal.

"The raids give the public confidence that we, the security bodies, are working. It is the way OP Mesa was designed and once our sources tip us off, we swing into action, and thus far, our sources have proven to be credible."
When asked about the claims that the military group recovered some devices suspected to be explosives, Umoh said he did not have details of that as well as the number of those arrested during the raid.

Also reacting to claims that the arrest incited a clash between the soldiers and the hoodlums, Umoh said: "Although people have a tendency to resist arrest, there was nothing like that in this case. They raided and effected arrests without hassles."

Also, a senior officer of the Lagos State Police Command, who sought not to be named because he was not authorised to speak on the issue, debunked claims that the police were among the security agencies that carried out the early morning raid.
Also, the command debunked claims that explosives were recovered by the OP Mesa.
The state Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, said no explosive was recovered.

Braide who spoke through her deputy, Chukwuma Ozoani, told THISDAY that if explosives were recovered, the state Police Anti-Bomb Squad would have been called in to detonate them.

She said: "The police did not carry out any raid on Ijora and we cannot hold brief for the OP Mesa but whatever it is, we have called the area and everything is said to be calm."
THISDAY also called the Lagos State Director, SSS, Ben Achu-Olayi, who asked to be called back since he was at a meeting.

Ijora & Ajegunle people, ant u familiar with NL? Pls confirm b4 I start packing back to the East.

Abeg o... is lagos no longer safe?

WTF!

We will not allow anybody to instigate fight/ between us and other part of the country. Hence, don't come and plant bomb here.

....na to stop dey enter BRT, make i go buy Bicycle

Can we all calm down.

First of, I have Igbo & Hausa friends (wow!, all wonderful & caring people).

I just can't place it when we all tend to judge a whole set of people by actions of very few.

We all wrote like pensive people but we allowed the milieu-induced reaction in us to come out first. Please, we should respond to the issues & not be ethno-racial.

Way forward! that's all we need. If we can't directly help in solving problems then it's better we don't indirectly stir-up more problems.

It HURTS so much. All these problems are caused by some of our past leaders (across all levels). These are the seeds they've sown over the years & now it's sprouting-out.

U.A.E., Malaysia, Brazil, Singapore & Nigeria all started the development race roughly at same time with Nigeria having an edge in terms of Population & Natural endowments.
Tell me brothers, where are we as at present in this d-race?

Let's not fall for this TRAPs. Please! We are more advance in thoughts.

The future of this GREAT country lies in your hand, yes YOU. Be progressively positive in intention & deeds.

'Nagode'
'Dalu'
'E se'
Thanks.

Boko in SW

reportnaija: A confirmed report reaching me says the Islamics set popularly known as Boko Haram was caught at Isale ebute street ijora oloye apapa not far from oba of ijora palace today around 8:00am.

The source told reportnaija that One of their member was caught at ajegunle yesterday so after much torture he confess about their members in ijora.

Which led to the capture of the sets at ijora this morning,there was heavy presence of military personnel in the area. He also said bombs and ammunition was found on them which was hidden in a cooler.

He also said the whole of IJORA is still in shock.
For your info Boko haram is now is lagos so beware. May God deliver us all.

Source : www.reportnaija..com/2013/03/boko-haram-caught-in-lagos-ijora-today.html

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