PHOTO:> Police to Lagosians: ignore rumour of militants attack

Commissioner denies killings 

Lagosians were yesterday told to ignore rumours of threats to security of lives and property.

The police assured residents of the nation’s commercial nerve centre that the fears of an attack on the city by militants, especially the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), were unfounded.

The militants are behind the renewed attacks on pipelines and oil platforms in the Niger Delta – activities that have dipped Nigeria’s 2.2million barrels of crude per day production to about 900,000.

Fears were rife that the group’s threat to extend its attacks to Lagos were to be carried out. But Police Commissioner Fatai Owoseni said the city is safe.He described as a “mere rumour” the insinuation that the NDA was planning to bomb the Ikorodu  Police Station, the Atlas Cove, the Third Mainland Bridge and  other targets.

A huge deployment of policemen in Ikorodu also reinforced the rumour that an attack was likely.

But Owoseni, who assured residents of their safety, said security agencies have been on their toes to avert any such threat.

He added that police officers were stationed at Ikorodu because there was an ongoing operation in the town to dislodge criminals.

Owoseni said: “Just as you heard it as a rumour, so I also heard it as a rumour. It is a mere rumour and there is no truth in the rumour. It is just like the rumour we received that the Third Mainland Bridge will be no more on May 29.

“Here we are, the Third Mainland Bridge is still standing. Reports we got about Ikorodu are cases of cultists and the police have arrested about 200 suspects. They are being screened. Security agents are on their toes there. There is overwhelming presence of policemen because there is a tactical operation going on there since last week.

“Ikorodu has been sectioned into four tactical operations points, which are manned between 5am and 9pm.

“In fact, the report at our disposal now is that some of the militants who used the waterways to commit heinous crimes, like kidnapping and armed robbery have been relocating.

“There is no threat of bombing of a police station at Ikorodu. However, plain-clothe policemen, officials of the Directorate of State Services (DSS) are on ground and on top of the situation. People should be careful where they go,” he said.

Owoseni debunked accusations of extrajudicial killings against the police, insisting that armed robbery and kidnapping suspects arrested since August have been charged to court.

According to him, the command has in court 163 armed robbery cases involving 308 suspects. Two kidnap cases with six suspects have also been charged to court since August, last year.

“We are saying this because of the impression being created. It is not true that we have been killing armed robbery and kidnapping suspects in our custody.

“It is also not true that we have been covering up our personnel who are found wanting. I can tell you that between July 2015 and last April, 136 policemen have either been queried or charged in orderly room for misconduct.

“Those bothering on criminality were immediately arraigned. We have been taking policemen through reorientation at the Police College. Over 850 personnel have already attended the courses and we are on the 13th batch,” Owoseni said