Afeez Hanafi
A suspected member of a militant group
allegedly planning to blow up the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos State,
has been arrested by the police in Majidun, Ikorodu area of the state.
The suspect, Abiodun Amos, aka Senti, was said to be a bomb expert, who had participated in several robbery attacks and kidnappings in Lagos and Ogun states.
PUNCH Metro learnt that two
Ak-47 rifles concealed in a bag and a vehicle loaded with dynamite and
detonators were recovered from the suspect’s hideouts around the creeks
in Majidun.
It was gathered that Amos’ arrest
followed an intelligence report received by the office of the National
Security Adviser to the President.
The report was said to have been passed
onto the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, who directed the
Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team, led by ACP Abba
Kyari, to go after the group.
A police source disclosed to our
correspondent that Amos was a top commander of a militant group, which
had been terrorising communities in Lagos and Ogun states.
The source said, “The suspect is a
member of a militant group operating from the creeks of Ikorodu and
Arepo areas of Lagos and Ogun states. The police got an intelligence
report from the office of the NSA that Amos and his gang members wanted
to blow up the Third Mainland Bridge.
“The group was trailed to a river bank
in the Majidun area, where the suspect, an expert in explosive, was
arrested. Two Ak-47 rifles hidden in a Ghana-Must-Go bag were
found in his possession and he led operatives to a vehicle parked
discreetly within Ikorodu, and a large cache of dynamite and detonators
were recovered from its boot.”
PUNCH Metro learnt from another
source that some members of the gang earlier arrested gave detectives
information that led to Amos’ arrest, adding that the police were on the
trail of other members of the gang.
“After receiving the report, the IG
directed the IRT operatives to commence a full-scale investigation and
it was discovered that the group actually planned to blow up the bridge
at the end of November 2016. The suspect, who coordinated the plan, was
arrested before the scheduled date,” the source added.
In his confessional statement, Amos, who
hails from Arugbo in the Ese Odo Local Government Area of Ondo State,
reportedly told the police that his gang was frustrated by the military
operations against pipeline vandals.
The 43-year-old man said his gang went
into kidnapping after the bombardment of the creeks, adding that the
botched attack on the bridge was initiated by the overall ringleader
identified as General Ossy.
“We went into bank robberies and
kidnapping because we wanted to get government’s attention and all we
wanted was for them to grant us amnesty and offer us pipeline protection
contract. We have made several appeals, but the government is not
listening to us.
“General Ossy said if we didn’t
blow up the Third Mainland Bridge, government would not listen to us.
We had concluded plans and we decided to carry out the attack by
November ending. I am the group’s explosive expert. We were about going
into the creek to conclude plans on how to carry out the attack when I
was arrested.”
The Force Public Relations Officer, DCP
Don Awunah, confirmed the arrest and seizure of the explosives, saying
investigation was ongoing.
He said, “An arrest was made of an
individual. While the police operatives were pursuing another one in a
vehicle, he abandoned the vehicle and ran but he was tracked down. Some
explosives were discovered in the vehicle and two Ak-47 guns were
recovered from him.”
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