Police speak on ISWAP threat to attack Lagos

Amidst fears arising from the threat by terrorists of the Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP) to attack Lagos and some other major cities across the country, the state’s police command has allayed the concerns of residents.

Ben Hundeyin, the Public Relations Officer, Lagos State Police Command, made this clarification, on Monday, during an interview on Arise TV, monitored by Ripples Nigeria.

Last week, there was a leaked memo from the headquarters of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, which alerted state commands to the planned attacks.

Following the alert, security was on Tuesday beefed up in Abuja to forestall a possible attack by ISWAP and Boko Haram.

On Sunday, the elite Presidential Guards Brigade was attacked by gunmen along the Bwari-Kubwa road where a captain, lieutenant and six soldiers reportedly lost their lives.

To foil the planned attack by ISWAP, the Nigeria Army and the Nigeria Police Force on Tuesday deployed troops and policemen in strategic locations across the FCT.

In his statement during the interview on Arise TV, Hundeyin urged Lagosians to continue their businesses while noting “the threat level is not alarming.”

Read also:DHQ says troops killed 2,016 Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists in two weeks

He said, “If it gets to that point about travel advisory, we will issue an official statement but at this point, we implore people to go about their businesses since the entry and exit points are being closely monitored. For now, the threat level is not alarming and we would let people know if the issue gets alarming. We also implore Lagosians to inform the authorities of any suspicious happening in their neighbourhood.”

Hundeyin also revealed that crime rates across the state had reduced due to the ban on commercial motorcyclists in selected Local Government Areas in the state.

“The Okada ban has made a lot of difference in the reduction of crime rate. This coincided with a reduction in traffic robberies since the criminals use Okadas for their operations. It was a wise decision and has helped in restoring security to the state,” the Police spokesman revealed.

To curtail crime, the Lagos State Government inaugurated an Anti-Okada Squad to join the police in enforcing the ban on motorcycles in six Local Government Areas, highways, major roads, and bridges.

The Commissioner for Transportation, Dr. Frederic Oladeinde, had said that the ban was in line with the Transport Sector Reform Law2, 2018.

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