Concerned about reports that the terrorist group, ISIS, was planning to launch an attack on Nigeria, the Department of State Services (DSS), has raided hideouts of Islamic State in West Africa, ISWA, and Boko Haram, arresting operatives of the terrorist groups.
The raid, which took the DSS operatives to Kukuntu village, Gwagwalada Area Council, FCT, Abuja, and Muda Lawal Market, Bauchi, Bauchi State, led to the arrest of three key operatives of the terrorist organisation and Boko Haram.
A statement by DSS, signed by Tony Opuiyo, said the operatives also hauled in many members of kidnap and gunrunning syndicates in many parts of the country.
The statement gave the names of the ISWA terrorists as Bashiru Adams, Rufai Sajo and Umar Dogo.
DSS said: “The suspects were discovered to have concluded plans to not only perpetuate the ideals of the movement in the area, but to, in collaboration with Boko Haram, carry out heinous violent attacks on innocent persons.”
… bust kidnap gang
In nearby Karu, a suburb of the FCT, DSS said it arrested two members of a notorious kidnap gang known as Basalube, who abducted Ayodele Arise in Kogi State last December, a Portuguese national, Emmanuel Machada, last year and killed two policemen in Kogi State.
The service gave the names of the leader of the gang as Usman, aka Siddi, and Ibrahim Muhammed, aka Ganaja.
Following up on the operations of the deadly gang, the service also raided another location of the Basalube kidnap gang in Odigie village, Ovia North-East Local Government Area, Edo State, and hauled into custody Tambaya Umar, Ibrahim Ali, Abubakar Mohammed, Aliyu Manu and Umar Mohammed for complicity in the group’s numerous criminal acts.
Meanwhile, Lagos State was also not spared as on 14th May, 2018, the service rescued a kidnap victim, Bimbo Adebiyi, after raiding the group’s hideout at Grace Estate in Ajah area of the state.
Members of the kidnap gang that were apprehended include: Tunde Akinsola, Wakil Alade, Olumide Braimoh, Raymond Adingiou.
Others are: Isiaq Abesin, Victoria Nwabueze and Zabala Amolokwe.
He said that on March 27 the service also arrested five members of a kidnap syndicate at Calabar.
The suspects are: Simeon Paul, Emmanuel Etim, Eric Out, Famous Oleke and Felix Eshet.
He said that items recovered from them include: one AK-47 Rifle, three empty AK-47 Magazines, 38 rounds of live ammunition, two live rounds of 9mm ammunition, one Mossberg pump action rifle and 15 live cartridges of ammunition.
