LAGOS State Governor
Following
the discovery of terror suspects’ hideouts in Ijora, Lagos, last
Thursday, Hausa leaders in the state have pledged to rid the state of
terrorists.
The Hausa leaders made the promise on
Monday during their solidarity visit to the Ojora of Ijora, Oba Fatai
Aromire, over the incident in his domain last week.
No fewer than 100 soldiers, assisted by
men of the State Security Service, had stormed the predominantly Hausa
settlement in Ijora in search of suspects said to be members of an
Islamic fundamentalist sect, Boko Haram.
Their search yielded fruits when five
persons - two persons from Aromire Street and three at a location in an
adjacent street, were arrested during the raid.
The soldiers, after ransacking the
building at Aromire Street where one of the arrested persons, Ibrahim
Musa, occupies five rooms, recovered a bomb kept in a cooler and
hidden inside the ceiling of one of the rooms.
Musa, who a security source described as an illegal alien from Chad, was said to be the leader of the suspects.
Other items found were AK-47 riffles, live cartridges and daggers.
Addressing the Ojora on behalf of the
Arewa leaders in Lagos, the Sarkin Hausawa Lagos, Alhaji Sani Kabir,
urged all the Hausa leaders (Sarkins) to be vigilant.
He reiterated the need for security to be strengthened by both the federal and state governments.
Kabir said, “We are here (Ojora palace)
to show our concern over the discovery of bomb and pledge our support
for all efforts to rid Lagos of any incursion of terrorists.
“We are a part and parcel of Lagos and
this community. We will not allow anybody to destroy the state.
Therefore, all the Arewa leaders in Lagos have resolved to be vigilant.
If we notice strange faces, we will report them to the nearest police
station.”
The Hausa leader also appealed to all
the ethnic nationalities to be peace-loving, remain calm and go about
their lawful businesses.
In his reaction, Oba Aromire said the incident of last Thursday was a sad event “we did not pray for.”
He said it was only God that saved Lagosians, stressing that if the bomb had detonated, it would have wreaked havoc.
Aromire said, “During the meeting, we warned all the Arewa leaders in the state to call their people to order.
“Please talk to your Sarkins. Talk to your men. If it happens, it will affect all of us.
“Since 1994 that your people have been living with us, this kind of thing has not happened.
“Why do you want to bomb Lagos? What are
we dragging? If they (Boko Haram members) still remain here, I will
flush all of them out. They should leave my domain. My domain is not for
criminals.”
Hausa Leader, Ajeremi Ifelodun, Alhaji
Adamu Abubakar, said though the people arrested were not Hausa, they had
come to show solidarity with the Ojora.
He said, “Today’s meeting is a kind of
press conference in respect of what happened in Ijora within the domain
of Oba Fatai Aromire. We came to tell him that we Northerners,
especially Arewa, that we are not happy with what happened.
“Although, the man whose apartment the
bomb was found is not a Nigerian, we came to prove to him that no
Nigerian; no northerner will carry do such a nasty thing within Lagos
State and by the grace of God, we pray it will never happen again.”
PUNCH
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