Militants flee Ogun, regroup in Ondo; NSCDC arrests 21

Some vandals allegedly responsible for attacks on communities in Lagos and Ogun states are escaping in large numbers to riverine communities in the Ilaje and Ese-Odo local government areas of Ondo State.


Investigations on Monday showed that the insurgents, who escaped the intensified aerial bombardment by the Nigerian Air Force of their camps at Arepo, Ogun, and Ikorodu, Lagos, had been sighted in Ore, Okitipupa and the riverine communities of  Ondo State. 


A top security source told one of our correspondents that security reports showed that some of the militants had sneaked into the Ondo reverine communities.


He said, ‘‘Arepo can no longer contain them. Some of them have run to Ondo to hide in the riverine areas.’’


It was further gathered that some of them were still trapped in Arepo and other communities in Lagos and were making frantic moves to flee.


A source in Ese-Odo said since the military started the bombardment of the militants’ camps on Friday, many of them had fled and regrouped in Ondo State.


Meanwhile, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, said it had arrested additional 21 fleeing militants in the creeks of Arepo, Fatola and other parts of Lagos, bringing the total number of arrests to 40.

The agency stated that the ongoing operation against pipeline vandals would not stop until all the miscreants were arrested.


The NSCDC Public Relations Officer, Emma Okeh, told one of our correspondents on the telephone on Monday that the militants were being detained at centres run by the military and the Department of State Services.


Okeh said, “Apart from the 19 suspects that were arrested since Thursday when the operation against the militants started, we have apprehended 21 others, bringing the total number to 40.”
The spokesman said the suspects would eventually be arraigned in court, adding that it would be done after all the militants in the operational area might have been arrested.

The Ondo State Police Command told one of our correspondents that policemen were on the ground to prevent militants from “doing anything” in the state.


The Public Relations Officer of the state police command, Mr. Femi Joseph, said although there was no report about fleeing militants regrouping in Ondo, the police were not leaving anything to chance.
The PPRO said, “I don’t think the information that the fleeing militants are in this state is true, and if they are here, there is no way they can regroup to carry out any activity because our men are on the ground everywhere.


“We are not taking the security of the state for granted, but I don’t think any militant is here.
“We call on our people not to hesitate to inform the police whenever they notice any strange face or witness activities of some strange people in their communities so that we can move in to deal with such people.”


The Ondo State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Kayode Akinmade, said the state government was not aware of any militant’s visit to the state.


He said the security agencies in the state were, however, up to the task to curb any criminal activity in any part of the state, adding that the state government was committed to the protection of lives and property of the residents.