Boko Haram: Unwanted guests on the prowl

March 26, 2013

• Boko Haram members

Against the backdrop of arrest of five suspected members of Boko Haram in Lagos last week, BUKOLA ADEBAYO writes that a possible invasion of the South-West by the dreaded Islamic sect may spell doom for the Nigerian economy

A bomb explosion in Lagos spells nothing but doom for not only the residents but also the whole country. The state is home to about 18 million Nigerians. It is not just the centre of excellence, it is also the commercial hub of the country. So, any act of terrorism there would have a more damaging impact than in any other city in the country.

 Already, Abuja, Kaduna, Kano and Maiduguri have become danger zones since Boko Haram began to unleash the reign of terror on the North. Many residents of these cities now live in perpetual fear as their workplaces, markets, churches or residences could be the target of unprovoked violence.

Lagosians’ worst fear came to pass with last Thursday’s arrests of five suspected terrorists at their hideout in Ijora, after a raid by men of the State Security Service in collaboration with military personnel.

 A cache of arms, including explosives, were found hidden in the ceiling.

 Those arrested by the about 100 soldiers that carried out the raid were said to have confessed that they were members of Boko Haram, sent to wreak havoc in Lagos.

Of course, this is not the first time that terrorists would be caught in Lagos. In April, last year,  26-year-old, Olasunkanmi Ismael was apprehended by church’s security men following an alarm by neighbours that he had jumped the fence to gain entry into the premises of Methodist Church, Ita-Elewa, Ikorodu.

Upon interrogation, he confessed that he was sent to plant a bomb in the church premises.

A can full of explosives was found on him with the inscription, ‘Open in case of emergency’.

The incident was the fourth bomb scare in Lagos in the last one year.

Also, Ikeja residents and commuters were thrown into confusion when news of a bomb explosion supposedly planted near Awolowo House broke.

Another wave of panic blew across the city when messages filtered on mobile devices and social media platforms that a bomb had been discovered in front of Reliance Hotel, Toyin Street, Ikeja, last year.  Items which looked like a life jacket, a computer mouse and some attached strings of wire had been displayed in front of the hotel.

While a deadly fight among tipper operators in Isolo had also borne traces of a bomb attack,  the spokeswoman of the state police command, Ngozi Braide, had later assured Lagosians that it was a mere scare or an attempt at a prank.

Thursday’s arrest of five terrorists in Lagos, however, confirms reports that terror groups had begun recruiting and deploying their members to the South-West with the aim of establishing terrorist cells in the zone.

The division in the Boko Haram sect has given birth to splinter groups, including Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina Fi Biladis-Sudan. Observers noted that these factions were conceived to establish cells within the South-West after identifying fundamentalists that would coordinate attacks in the zone.

The motive behind this initiative of establishing a base in the South-West, is to destabilise the economy of the country and possibly cause ethnic cum sectarian crises.

[Punch]