Gunmen atack: soldiers head to Lagos and Ogun over gunmen attacks

Following the bloody militants’ attack on Thursday night through Friday morning, soldiers and other security personnel have taken over the entirety of Imushin community, a borderline area of Lagos and Ogun states.
The last attack, the third in a row, occurred between 10.00 p.m. Thursday and 8.00 a.m. on Friday.
The attack, which spread to four different communities, Ita-Oluwo, Bolorunduro, Ajegunle and Igbo-Olomu community, claimed at least 15 lives.
The security agents were said to have been on eagle-eye watch over the communities to ensure their safety, though nearly all the homes in the communities have been completely deserted.
It was gathered that the residents who fled from of the communities to other communities they considered safe, are yet to return for fear of another attack.
The fear was also said to have been reinforced by the actualisation of the gunmen’s threat to return for more killing.
Apart from the initial raid of the communities, the militants had returned as threatened, twice, to wreak more havoc and shed more blood.
However, a community leader, who spoke to Sunday Tribune, said that there was no more panic in Imushin area, though the community was still desolate.
The source noted that “people are yet to return to their homes because they are afraid of the militants. Although there is no more panic because the security agents on ground are doing very well. The community is now safe for people to return to their homes, the military are everywhere.
“My appeal is that everyone should come back home so that the community can return to its usual shape.”
It was learnt that no arrest had been made, while security agents are reportedly on the trail of the gunmen.
Meanwhile, revelations on the reason behind the repeated attacks on Ogun communities emerged during the week, as it was gathered that the militants were out to avenge the death of two of their members during a shoot-out with the police, on Friday, June 17.
A reliable source, who craved anonymity, told Sunday Tribune that SARS operatives from Lagos State Police Command stormed a hotel in Imushin to arrest some hiding kidnappers, who were said to belong to the militant group.
“After the SARS operatives burst the place, there was an exchange of gunfire between them and the militants, resulting in the death of two of the militants, while some of them were arrested,” the source stated.
He added: “They (the militants) came on revenge mission later same day. They were angry that they were tackled by the police and their method of retaliation was to shoot indiscriminately and kill innocent people as well as vandalise the hotel in which they were caught by the police. They were almost 150 in number. They left for the creeks immediately after carrying their revenge mission.”
Sunday Tribune also learnt from the same source that the husband of the owner of the hotel was also killed by militants in the past.
A top security official, who also did not want his name printed, however, pointed out that the issue of militants was beyond the police.
“They are in the creeks and that is beyond the police. Anytime we pursue them, they enter the creeks and disappear.
“We used to watch them from afar but we cannot follow them into the creek. If we shoot, it can’t have any effect because of the distance between where they are and the police.
“It is the military that can do that aspect. The Navy and the Army are there. Only the Navy has gunboats and the Air Force and the Army can deploy fighting jets. The Federal Government should know what to do,” the security official added.
But the Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, Fatai Owoseni, has stated that his command has put pro-active measures in place to forestall such an attack in the command’s area of jurisdiction and to complement Ogun State command’s efforts
Speaking with Sunday Tribune in a telephone interview, Owoseni said “there were threats at Ogun State Police Command by some militants last weekend, but we have taken pro-active measures in Lagos command. We are doing it together with the military. So there is no cause for alarm.”
In Ogun State, the Police Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, a Superintendent of Police, told the Sunday Tribune that the command was working with Lagos State Police and other security agencies to suppress the activities of these people.
“They are militants and they operate like militants. What we have is a replica of what we have in Niger Delta region. They are armed to the teeth. We have deployed policemen to the area to fortify security.
“We are discussing with the state government too, so that there can be proper deployment of relevant security agencies,” the PPRO said
He added that the Commissioner of Police, Abdulmajid Ali, had ordered more than five teams comprising operatives from Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) and state anti-robbery section, mobile policemen and conventional policemen to the area.
In a related development, the Ogun State Police Command on Saturday deployed the Area Commander in charge of Sagamu Division, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Ali Janga, to communities in Ogijo area of the state.
Also deployed were four teams of policemen which include Police Mobile Force and Special Anti-Robbery Squad personnel and an Armoured Personnel Carrier to the communities.
A statement by the command through the Public Relations Office and signed by Adejobi, stated that the directive was given by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Department of Operations, DCP Bello Makwashi, on behalf of the Commissioner of Police, Abdulmajid Ali.
He said the deployment was carried out after series of consultations on the necessary measures to be put in place to tackle the activities of the armed militants in the affected communities.
The statement had it that ACP Ali would remain in the area of operation to monitor operational  and administrative engagements of the policemen deployed to the areas for the special operation in the affected communities which include Elepete, Imuti, kajola, Magbon and Ajegunle.