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.According to Punch Metro 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.”
It was also discovered 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.”
No comments:
Post a Comment
Leave Comment Here