Lagos State Police Storm Creek, Arrest 13 Suspected Militants

Following the killing of Endurance Ominisan, the alleged mastermind behind the brutal killing of four police officers and an army captain in the creek of Ikorodu, Lagos State, on Tuesday, men of the Nigerian police on Wednesday stormed the creek used as a hideout by suspected militants.

The police said it arrested 13 militants suspected to have been involved in the killing of the security agents, and destroyed their camps in the Ishawo area of the town.

The suspected militants were arrested in a joint operation by men of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad and the Rapid Response Squad of the Lagos State Police Command.

The Punch writes that on Wednesday, policemen and members of a local vigilante group, led by the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, and the RRS Commander, ACP Olatunji Disu, commenced destruction of shanties on the waterfront, which were being used as hideouts by the militants.

The team which includes the state marine police and the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, arrested 13 suspects during raids in the creek.

A police source said, “The raids started immediately after the attack; but we didn’t make a headway on time because of the difficulty in accessing the camps. The terrain is volatile. The 13 suspects were arrested this week.”

Owoseni said the suspects were being interrogated to determine their level of involvement in the crime.

The Lagos police boss said they had been given some lead on how to track other fleeing members of the gang.

He said, “Following the attack that occurred at Ishawo where we lost four of our policemen and an army Captain, we have deployed operatives in the water. Quality arrests have been made and we are talking to the suspects. We have got some evidence from them and they are talking to us.

“Earlier this morning (Wednesday), we were able to get to the proper camps of these criminal elements where some of them were cooking food. They fled immediately they saw the combined team. The destruction of the camps is ongoing. The officers that are handling the destruction will share the story at the end of the operation.

“We want to assure members of the public that these people have murdered sleep and they will not sleep. We will ensure they are all rooted out.”