The Lagos State Police Command, on Wednesday, took the fight to the militants in creeks at Majidun Base, along Ikorodu Road, as its operatives entered the militants’ camp and destroyed structures put up there.
Also, 13 suspects have been arrested in the command’s efforts at getting those behind the killing of four policemen, an army captain and a landlord on Sunday, April 9 at Ishawo, Ikorodu.
Speaking with Metro during a trip to creeks, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, said that his command would make sure that those who perpetrated the act were brought to book.
The police commissioner went in company with the Commander of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), Tunji Disu, an Assistant Commissioner of Police, and officers and men of the command, in two gunboats mounted with General Purpose Machine Guns (GPMGs).
A helicopter belonging to the RRS also mounted surveillance as it flew round the creeks while the operation was ongoing.
Owoseni said that the penetration of the creeks was achieved by the combined efforts of marine police, Special Anti-Robbery Squad, anti-kidnapping unit, mobile policemen and vigilance group members who were familiar with the terrain.
According to the police commissioner, “following the attack that occurred at Ishawo, in which we lost four of our men, an army captain and a member of the community, we deployed our men on the waters.
“What you are seeing now is for us to have an appreciation of what we have been doing in the past one week. Some arrests have been made. We are talking to those arrested and we believe we will get some evidential values.
“They are talking to us and that makes us to know who we are looking for so that we will not just be wild catching.
“My coming to the creeks is to have an appreciation of what the Maritime Police, the FSARS operatives, mobile policemen and men of the anti-kidnapping unit, in coordination with the local vigilance numbers had been doing.
“We have seen that the element of the vigilance group members that are familiar with the terrain will be so helpful to us. With the coordination, they have been on the waters to identify the creeks where these criminal elements always hibernate.
“Early this morning (Wednesday), they were able to get into the camps of the criminal elements where we met some of them cooking.
“They fled immediately they saw the combined team and, of course, we felt we should take the decision of destroying the camps. And that is ongoing. The officers handling the camp destruction are right inside the creeks. Our coming here is for you to see the terrain and actually see what the security operatives face with regard to policing this environment.”
He said his command was also clamouring for the destruction of the shanties built around the creeks, which he said served as hideouts for the criminals, adding: “It is from there that they launch attacks.”
He said the militants had murdered sleep “and they will not sleep. We will make sure all of them are rooted out and face the full wrath of the law.
“We also have helicopter surveillance. We assure the people that the government and the security agents are ready to ensure that we put an end to the madness of the criminals.”
He disclosed that the statements of the 13 suspects picked up by the police had been helpful.
“What is critical to us is that we don’t want to be wild catching. We know the people we are looking for; we have the identities of those that are involved. We are sure that one by one, we will get all of them and they will face the music,” Owoseni said.
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