Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Tukur Buratai has revealed that some Boko Haram terrorists were arrested in Lagos last December following intelligence reports.
This is coming days after Tunde Fashola (Former Governor of Lagos state) confirmed security operatives foiled an attempt to bomb Lagos in 2015 during his tenure.
Buratai made the disclosure during an interview with Arise TV. He disclosed the terrorists were not limited to the Northeast region alone as they had spread and infiltrated some other parts of the country including Lagos.
“There is nowhere you will not find Boko Haram – even in Lagos here, there are Boko Haram (members). In Kaduna, there is Boko Haram. There are more across the North-east. Many have been arrested here in Lagos. We have been tracking them. We arrest them and take them into custody,” Buratai said.
Meanwhile, some LASG officials who chose to remain anonymous, told Pulse last week that okada ban in Lagos state was a way of flushing out Boko Haram terrorists who have infiltrated the state disguising as okada and tricycle (Keke) riders. The official revealed their infiltration necessitated the ban without giving a long notice
“We caught top commanders of the Boko Haram sect in Lagos who came in here, posing as okada riders. And that’s the problem. Okada riders are difficult to identify and profile. We also had security reports detailing an influx of persons who posed a security threat to Lagos. This was the last straw for Governor Sanwo-Olu, especially because security operatives kept advising him to effect the okada ban or watch Lagos get attacked by terrorists.
“After numerous stakeholder engagement sessions and intelligence reports, the okada restriction notice was issued. We couldn’t give a three-month or six-month notice because we didn’t have the luxury of time. These guys were invading Lagos as okada riders, camping in sleeper cells and ready to blow up the city someday. It was coming,” one top Lagos state official told Pulse correspondent.
It would be recalled that The Herald published an opinion piece on a conspiracy theory connecting Okada ban to Boko Haram infiltrating Lagos state.