*As police nabs leader of militant group planning to bomb Lagos 3rd Mainland Bridge
Nigerian intelligence may have stepped up in its effort to rid the country of crimes as most of its activities have now been of nabbing criminals at planning stage before they strike, better described as prevention of crimes before they take place.
That precisely is the description of the latest report reaching The DEFENDER which states that the police detectives working on an intelligence-based directive from the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, have arrested a suspected member of an unidentified militant group for an attempt to blow up 3rd Mainland Bridge, Lagos.
The suspect, Abiodun Amos, also known as Senti, was nabbed from his hideout at the Majidun area of Ikorodu.
Two Ak47 rifles, hidden in a Ghana-must-go bag and several dynamites were recovered from the suspect, said to be a top militant commander and hails from Arogbo Ijaw in Ese-Odo Local Government of Ondo State.
It was gathered that the suspect, an expert in the manufacturing of explosives, was trailed to his hideout along the waterfront of Majidun by operatives of the Inspector General of Police Special Intelligence Response Team (IRT).
A police source said after his arrest, the suspect led the IRT operatives to a vehicle parked discreetly within Ikorodu, from which booth a large catch of dynamite and detonators were recovered.
The source said the police got onto him following intelligence generated by the office of the National Security Adviser to the President which was passed on to the Inspector General of Police Ibrahim Idris.
The suspect was said to be at the final stage of carrying out the planned attack on the Third Mainland Bridge.
Based on the strength of the information, the IGP directed the IRT operatives led by CSP Abba Kyari, to commence investigation, which uncovered that the group had acquired large quantities of dynamite and several other explosives which would be used for the attack.
In October 2016, the group to which Abiodun Amos belongs and which has no known identity but was notorious for pipeline vandalism, kidnapping and bank robberies, had demanded amnesty, threatening to disrupt economic activities within Lagos and Ogun states if the Federal Government did not dialogue with them and grant them pipeline protection contracts.
The leader of the militant group, known as General Ossy Ibori, who had in recent times coordinated most of the bank robberies and several high profile kidnappings, including that of the three school girls at Babington Macaulay Junior Seminary School in Ikorodu, four landlords at Isheri North Area of Lagos, Oniba of Ibaland, Oba Goriola Oseni and several others within Lagos and Ogun States, boasted that his group had over 21 generals commanding 7,800 battle-ready boys.
He added that the group was rich enough to fight the Federal Government as it had acquired thousands of military grade arms and ammunition.
Abiodun Amos is said to have confessed that his militant group was formerly into pipeline vandalism but that they resorted into kidnapping when it became difficult for them to sell their stolen petroleum products.
“We went into bank robberies and kidnapping because we wanted to get government attention. We have made several appeals and the government is not listening to us. General Ossy said if we don’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 explosives expert and before I was arrested we were going into the creek to conclude plans on how to carry out the attack,” he said.
