Attempt by Boko Haram to carry out its dastardly act on Nigeria’s economic hub,Lagos last month was foiled by the Department of State Services (DSS) according to AFP.
At least 45 alleged members of the terror sect, Boko Haram, have been identified as the brains behind the plot by the Department of State Services (DSS). They were arrested following intelligence report on their alleged plan to attack Dolphin Estate, Ikoyi, Lagos, one of Nigeria’s high brow residential areas, the DDS told a court on Friday.
The attack was said to have been slated for September soon after the arrival of the suspects in Lagos. The court ordered the remand of the 45 suspects in Kirikiri prisons in the state. The security operatives told the court that the suspects had volunteered confessional statements, adding that arms were recovered from them.
The newly sworn in Lagos State Information Commissioner Steve Ayorinde on Saturday called for the public’s help in ensuring the safety of the populace. “Our appeal goes to every school, housing estates, religious houses, markets and shopping complexes, hotels and restaurants and sporting arenas to take issues of security and personal safety more seriously these days and to work with both the government and security agencies in promptly reporting any persons with suspicious activities or unusual gatherings that may compromise security,” he said. “Care must also be taken in how domestic servants and house aides are also employed,” he added in a statement.
In August,the DSS announced the arrest of 19 suspected terrorists of Boko Haram in Lagos, Enugu, Plateau, Kano and Gombe States. They were described as commanders and front-line members of the sect who had played active roles in its bloody campaign in the northeast.
Boko Haram, an Islamist militant group, has attacked Nigeria’s police and army, politicians, schools, religious buildings, public institutions, and civilians with increasing regularity since 2009. The dreaded Boko Haram sect have continued to carry out their incessant attacks mostly in northern states in Nigeria, killing scores of innocent lives, injuring thousands and displacing thousands from their homes.