Army ‘arrests’ 37 Boko Haram suspects in Lagos, Ogun

The 81 division of the Nigerian Army on Thursday said it arrested 37 suspected Boko Haram insurgents in Lagos and Ogun states within the last 15 months.

Isidore Edet, former general officer commanding (GOC) of the division, disclosed this in Lagos while handing over to Ebenezer Oyefolu, his successor.

Edet said under his watch, the division arrested insurgents in different parts of the two states.

“As Boko Haram is being defeated, the terrorists run to other parts of the country. From the period I took over in August 2015 till date, we arrested 37 Boko Haram suspects,” he said.

“We will continue to arrest them and hand them over to the appropriate authorities.”

Edet said his most challenging moment as GOC 81 division was the abduction of three of his operatives by militants in the Ijagemo area of Lagos.

“I had to work round-the-clock to secure their release,’’ he said.

On pipeline vandals at Arepo and Ikorodu, Edet said the army collaborated with other security agencies to rout the vandals from the areas.

Oyefolu said he would key into the successes of his predecessor to move the division forward.

Until his appointment, Oyefolu was the deputy director at Defence Intelligence Agency, Abuja.