Police tighten security in Lagos, Ogun over alleged IPOB militants’ attack

The Lagos and Ogun State Police Commands have tightened security in various parts of the states to prevent any likely attack by members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its Eastern Security Network.

This resulted in a statement by the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, during a security meeting led by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, that the command was investigating threats by IPOB to attack soft targets in the state.

While responding to the revelation of the Commissioner of Police, the leader of IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, had discredited the allegation on social media.

The top Igbo socio-cultural association, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, had also depicted the allegation as a gossip intended to cause division, disaster and clash among Ndigbo and their host societies.

Our journalist, however, learnt that covert police officials had been positioned in places hosting important infrastructure and organisations, and also areas with high population of individuals from the eastern part of the nation and motor parks in Lagos.

Odumosu declared to our reporter that the command had set up measures to curb any possible attack by IPOB because it could not ignore such a threat.

He said, “I want to assure members of the public that inasmuch as we don’t work on rumours, at the same time we don’t disregard them. When we got the intelligence report, all the stakeholders in the security industry were sensitised.

“Residents, including landlord associations, were also sensitised. Self-security consciousness is the best; if you observe something that is abnormal in a place, you take precaution.

“We have enlightened residents and landlord associations about self-security consciousness. In conjunction with the state Ministry of Education, we also organised a series of lectures, where I had interactive sessions with all the proprietors of public and private schools with boarding facilities.”

The Commissioner of Police added that the command had also held a meeting with significant shareholders to beef up security around the borders and the riverside communities, stating that the command was also working with the Ogun State Police Command to secure border towns of the two states.

Odumosu said, “During the summit, many contributions came up and we have empowered our marine police. It is only Ogun State that we share water and land boundaries with. We have moved round to all the borders of Lagos and Ogun states, and we have a synergy with the Ogun State Police Command.”

The Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Edward Ajogun, stated that though the state did not get any intelligence report signifying any strategic attack, the nearness of Lagos to Ogun State had encouraged the command to accelerate measures to strengthen the security system.

He said, “Generally, we have on the ground what I call adequate measures directed towards containing all forms of crimes, and our measures include surveillance in areas we think are vulnerable, including highways, public institutions, buildings and individuals, who are exposed to high risk of security like politicians, private businessmen, schools, farms, banking institutions and other financial institutions.

“We have a security template that is directed towards ensuring adequate security of these areas. On the issue of IPOB, I won’t say I have not heard that information as it is flying around in the social media, it should suffice to say that we have our measures to curtail this kind of crime and we are watching very closely.”