Yesterday, the Nigerian Police reportedly thwarted a major terrorist attack on the third Mainland bridge in Lagos state, and the members of the sleeper cell have also been apprehended.
Abiodun Amos, One of the leaders of the notorious militant group operating out of Ikorodu area of Lagos, on interrogation, divulged that his group planned to bomb the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos because the Federal Government failed to consider its members for amnesty.
The group had planned to bomb the bridge end of last month before Amos’ arrest by the Inspector-General of Police Special Intelligence Response Team, led by Abba Kyari, an Assistant Commissioner of Police, frustrated its efforts.
“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 also offer us pipeline protection contract.
‘’We have made several appeals but government is not listening to us.
‘’General” Ossy (leader of the gang) said if we don’t blow up the Third Mainland Bridge, government will not listen to us. We had concluded plans to carry out the attack by November ending.
‘’I am the group’s explosives expert and before I was arrested we were going into the creeks to conclude plans on how to carry out the attack.”
The suspect, also popularly known as Senti, said his group was hitherto involved in pipeline vandalism, noting that it resorted to kidnapping when it became difficult for its members to continue with the illegal business due to the presence of the military and policemen.
The suspect is a 43-year-old native of Arogbo, in Ese-Odo Local Government Area of Ondo State. He was arrested by operatives of the Inspector General of Police Special Intelligence Response Team, IRT, at a river bank in Majidun area of Ikorodu, Lagos, on Monday.
Two AK-47 rifles hidden inside a bag were found with the 43-year-old suspect as Vanguard reliably gathered that additional two cartons of explosives, with the words Gelatine Dynamite inscribed on them, and detonators, were recovered from the group’s operational saloon car.
Amos’ arrest, it was gathered, followed intelligence generated by office of the National Security Adviser to the President, NSA, on November 2, 2016, that the group had concluded plans to blow up the Third Mainland Bridge.
It was gathered that the information was passed on to the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris, who subsequently directed his IRT to commence investigation into the matter.
During investigation by the team, it was revealed that the militants had acquired a large quantity of dynamite and several other explosives with which to carry out the dastardly act.
Good riddance.. Awon oshi.
Why can’t they go and bomb their fathers’ houses in their communities.