Some
vandals allegedly responsible for attacks on communities in Lagos and Ogun
states are escaping in large numbers to riverine communities in the Ilaje and
Ese-Odo local government areas of Ondo State.
Investigations
on Monday showed that the insurgents, who escaped the intensified aerial
bombardment by the Nigerian Air Force of their camps at Arepo, Ogun, and
Ikorodu, Lagos, had been sighted in Ore, Okitipupa and the riverine communities
of Ondo State.
A
top security source said that security reports showed that some of the
militants had sneaked into the Ondo reverine communities.
He
said, ‘‘Arepo can no longer contain them. Some of them have run to Ondo to hide
in the riverine areas.’’
It
was further gathered that some of them were still trapped in Arepo and other
communities in Lagos and were making frantic moves to flee.
A
source in Ese-Odo said since the military started the bombardment of the
militants’ camps on Friday, many of them had fled and regrouped in Ondo State.
The
source said, “We have sighted them in some communities here. It seems Arepo is
too hot for them.”
A
resident of Ajagba in the Irele Local Government Area of the state, who
identified himself simply as Francis, said there were strange faces in the
local government, adding that it was difficult to identify whether they were
fleeing militants or not.’’
He
said, “Many people from Niger Delta states are living with us. Some of them do
have visitors staying with them, so there is no way we can know if the new
faces are the fleeing militants or not. “
Another
resident of the state, Musa, who lives in Ore, Odigbo Local Government Area,
said the high population made it possible for the militants to run to the
commercial town and hide there.
“Ore
is a commercial town with people from various tribes here. It is possible for
strange people to come and hide here,’’ he said.
But
the Director of Public Relations and Information of the Nigerian Air Force,
Group Capt. Ayodele Famuyiwa, said on the telephone on Monday that the vandals
were seen together on Sunday, probably to perfect a plan to run.
He
said the cameras on NAF’s platforms that were used for night operations picked
some of the insurgents having meetings.
He
said the ongoing aerial operation against the vandals would continue until they
were flushed out of the Ogun and Lagos areas completely.
The
fighter aircrafts of NAF had destroyed the major camps of the vandals at
Arepo, known as Fatola and Abuja, and two others during four days of sustained
aerial offensive in the area.
He
said, “They are almost out of Arepo, an area where they had consolidated
their position. Maybe, it is so strategic to them because even in the night,
they tried to come back; when we did night flying, the cameras still picked
them.
“We
see them coming together as if they wanted to hold meetings, maybe to run away
during the day.
“Some
of them tried to run into the mangrove. You know that place is very thick and
that is why our operation is going to continue until we flush them out
completely.”
He said the security
agencies in the state were, however, up to the task to curb any criminal
activity in any part of the state, adding that the state government was
committed to the protection of lives and property of the residents
The
Ondo State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Kayode Akinmade, said the state
government was not aware of any militant’s visit to the state.
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