Mass arrest, deportation as Boko Haram infiltrates Lagos City

As security agents in Nigeria and Lagos State in particular, continue to keep mute over the cause of the twin explosions at Creek Road, Apapa Lagos on June, 25, an international bomb expert has attributed the explosions to bombs.

This was even as sources revealed to the NT that since the explosions, several arrests had been made by the police, SS and Nigeria army in Lagos. A source said: “We’re keeping everything silent.”

Another security source said: “Security has been beefed up in Lagos State. The searchlight is now on foreigners and commercial bike riders. We know that Boko Haram uses them for their attacks. The police have also started raiding of black spots. Presently the Nigerian immigration service is deporting these foreigners’ enmass without questions.”

Another source further said: “Escalating the matter is unpatriotic and irresponsible and would only give glory to Boko Haram. We have discovered that they do this because they want to remain in the forefront of the media and the media is not helping matters by publishing all the Boko Haram activities. These people use these killings, so celebrated in by our media to continue to get more support from their international link. They want to be seen as working and justifying the money given to them.”

It is also said that the Lagos Police Command has no rested since the explosions at Apapa as the Commissioner of Police; Umar Manko continues to work with Islamic leaders in the state to ensure nothing untoward happens.

It will recall that the twin explosions ripped through Creek Road, Apapa on June 25. The explosions occurred at an area many workers at Apapa described as, “a main road feeding Nigeria’s busiest port and in an area housing most of the city’s fuel depots.”

It was gathered AFP sent photographs of the explosions scenes to a bomb expert;  a British Army’s former head of bomb disposal and he said there was no doubt as to the cause of the explosions.

Bob Seddon, an Iraq and Afghanistan veteran and a specialist in improvised explosive devices (IEDs), told AFP in an email exchange after reviewing the images.

 “This was definitely an incident involving the use of high explosives. The type of blast effects and fragmentation pattern you would get from a gas explosion are quite different.”

The former Royal Logistics Corps colonel said, assessing that 25-50 kilos (55-110 pounds) of improvised high explosive were used.

When the explosions occurred on June 25, the Inspector General of Police(IGP), Mohammed Abubakar, was not in the country, but since his return, he was said to have started working round the clock, communicating with his men in Lagos, while keeping policemen in the Force Headquarters, Abuja, late in office.

An Abuja source said: “The IGP has directed operatives of the Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU) and Task Force on Terrorism and Heinous Crimes to properly investigate and ensure that all public places, including seaports and airports are well protected.

“No fewer than 100 detectives from Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS) and intelligence Unit were deployed to Lagos early last week. Police in Lagos State have equally beefed up security within and around the command headquarters.”

Following Boko Haram’s claims yesterday, in a video that it was responsible for the twin explosions which occurred on June 25, at Creek Road, Apapa, Lagos State, the Police Force Spokesperson, Mr. Frank Mba has revealed that an Information Technology test and forensic analysis would be carried out to determine the authenticity of the video. This was even as he refused to comment on the allegation that the explosions at Creek Road were detonated bombs.

He said: “We’re studying the video. After we study the video, our approach will first be to conduct a thorough forensic analysis of the picture/video to authenticate the veracity of the video. It’s only after then, that we’ll then be able to know what to do. Anybody can produce a picture or video and post it. IT and forensic analysis will determine the truth. I’m not saying more than that!”

Dr. Abubakar Tsav, a former Lagos State Commissioner of Police, reacting to Boko Haram’s latest video and claims of being responsible for the twin explosions in Apapa, said that the video simply means that Boko Haram infiltrate anywhere. Tsav blames President Goodluck Jonathan for the continual existence of the dreaded sect, insisting that the President was handling the issue with kidgloves. According to him, it was now left to citizens of Lagos and Nigeria to secure their lives themselves by knowing the people within their communities.

His words: “By that video, Boko Haram is telling us that we must be vigilant and security conscious. They’re telling us that they can infiltrate anywhere. If they can infiltrate Lagos, it means they can infiltrate anywhere! It’s a very serious issue. But it’s sad that the government of Jonathan is not taking the issue very serious or it would have done and finish with this Boko Haram! Look at the case of the Chibok girls. For the first 18 days after they were kidnapped, nothing was done until more girls were kidnapped.

“Everybody should now become security conscious. Let’s adopt operation known your neighbours. If strangers come into the community, we should alert security agencies. Let’s not leave it in the hands of the security agencies. They can’t do it alone. We should all be involved."