Military attacts Lagos, Ogun creeks with bomb many feared killed
Arepo area of Ogun State and some part of Lagos State was on Thursday experienced a pandemonium after the
military bombarded the base of suspected militants in the states.
Reporters have learnt that scores of militants were reportedly killed in the joint military operation which lasted for more than one hour.
A source said the military attacked
Fatola, the base of the militants, adding that houses around the area
were affected by the impact of bomb explosions on the Ijaw militants.
He said, “There has been a lot of confusion. The Nigerian Air Force bombarded Fatola, in Arepo, which is
the base of the militants. They are shelling the place with fighter
jets. Some soldiers also surrounded the area to make sure that if any of
the militants should run out, they would be gunned down.”
A resident said people in the area had started fleeing their homes due to the bombardment.
Another resident in the Imushin area of
Ogun State told our correspondent that two aircrafts were involved in
the operation, adding that only one base of the militants was attacked.
He said, “An aircraft had actually been
surveying the creek for the past three days. But a second one joined
this evening around 6pm. All we heard was a sudden bomb blast released
from the second aircraft. But it appeared that some of the militants had
fled into the bush. There are four major bases of the militants in the
creek and they are led by two men- OC and Agbala. If the military can
get these two people, then they would have succeeded in clipping the
wings of the militants.”
A community leader, who claimed to have
spoken with one of the officers, said, “The military officer said
residents should not panic because it was a military exercise. I also
gathered that the casualty figure was high and that a lot of the
militants had been killed.”
The Director, Defence Information, Brig. Gen. Rabe Abubakar, confirmed the operation, saying it involved the army and the navy.
He said, “The military only conducts its
routine operation for the purpose of denying the vandals and other
criminal elements from causing terror in the area. The operation,
codenamed, Operation Awatse, was initiated by the defence
headquarters to dominate the area with a view to flushing out all
manners of criminals including militants and saboteurs. The operation
involved the joint forces of the navy and army and it has been
successful.”
The Police Public Relations Officer, Lagos State, SP Dolapo Badmos, said the police took part in the operation.
She said, “The Nigerian military and
policemen from the Lagos and Ogun commands are part of the operation. We
are sweeping through the waterways where we share boundaries to end the
activities of the militants. It is a continuous exercise and we cannot
tell the number of casualties.”
The acting Police spokesperson, ASP
Abimbola Oyeyemi, promised to contact some reporters when necessary.
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