The house where security operatives arrested nine suspected terrorists, including a Chadian, in Ijora-Badia, a Lagos mainland suburb, belongs to Bayelsa State government, a monarch claimed.

Yesterday Ojora of Ijora, Oba Fatai Oyeyinka Aromire, in whose domain soldiers attached to Lagos internal security outfit – Operation-MESA, arrested the suspects accused the government of Bayelsa State of complicity in the presence of terrorist suspects in Nigeria’s economic hub.

Oba Aromire blamed the government for abandoning the property, a development he said encouraged miscreants to use it as a hideout.

He said all the efforts made in the past by him and security agencies to get the Bayelsa government to either demolish the building or lease it out, considering the dangers of leaving it empty, yielded no result.

There were no comments from the Bayelsa government whose official promised “to get back to” The Nation.

The royal father, who frowned at the discovery of ammunition, including two AK47 rifles in his community, said it was God who saved the state from the suspected terrorists.

The Ojora spoke during a courtesy visit of Hausa leaders, led by the Chairman of the Council of Arewa Chiefs in Lagos, Alhaji Kabiru Garuba, to his palace.

He alleged that the attack being planned by the suspects was meant to cause mayhem the Centre of Excellence. He warned the Hausa leaders to reign in their men.

According to him, the suspects were living under the umbrella of the Hausa people, who have been residing in the area for many years without crisis.

Oba Aromire urged the Hausa leaders to evict anti-social elements in their midst to avoid the wrath of the law.

His words: “Discovery of such factory in Ijora was very sad to me and the entire family of Ojora. It was God that saved the whole Lagos because the attack was meant to destroy the state as a whole and not Ijora alone.

“But let me state here clearly that you should warn your men very well. Lagos is no-go area for miscreants. Although, they call the perpetrators Malians and Chadians, but they reside among your people here in Ijora.

“Please, talk to them and call them to order because if they refuse to desist, the result will be disastrous for them.

“I also want to say that the blame should also go to the Bayelsa State government for not taking care of their abandoned house where the evil doers are using as the hideout.

“We have been talking to them for a very long time to come and lease it out for the people that will make use of it, but they refused.

“If you ask the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in this area, he will tell you all our efforts to ensure that they come to either demolish or give it to the people that will make use of it, but they are yet to respond.”

The Seriki Hawusawa, (Alhaji Garuba), condemned the incident and described the Arewa residents as peace-loving people who have been living in Lagos for a long time.

He said that the Arewa community will ensure that nobody hide under its umbrella to perpetrate evil.

Ninety-three suspected terrorists were yesterday handed over to the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), Lagos State Command by the police.

It was reliably gathered that the suspects were mainly Chadians, Malians and Nigeriens.

Command spokesman of the NIS, Mr. Muyiwa Odunubi, who confirmed receiving the suspects from security agents, said the suspects would be paraded today by the Immigration command.

“I can confirm to you that we received 93 suspected Boko Haram members who were handed over to us by the police and other security agencies,” he said.

What's your point EFI NAMA

After parading them, what happens? You deport them and they find their way back? This government should use some of the money they are stealing to deal with the problem of our porous borders. Many of these people claim to be hausas but can't speak the language. If they don't have any genuine businesses in Nigeria, they should be sent to their countries and not allowed to come back. After all Nigerians are meted with such punishment all over the world, even from smaller African countries. If this problem is not dealt with soon, it is surely going to affect all of us-one way or the other.