Police ‘prevent’ militants from blowing up 3rd mainland bridge

The police say they have prevented suspected militants from bombing the third mainland bridge in Lagos.

Two suspects were arrested, while two AK 47 Rifles, two cartons of explosives and detonators were seized.

According to Channels Television, the police said the arrest was made after “weeks of meticulous follow-up on intelligence information” on the activities of some militants in Lagos and Ogun states.

The suspects were said to have been gathering explosives to blow up the bridge.

Jimoh Moshood, an official of the police public relations department, confirmed the arrest of a man and the seizure of the explosive-making devices.

He said Abiodun Amos, also referred to as Senti, a key member of the group, who specialised in explosives, was arrested on Wednesday.

Amos is from Ese Odo local government area of Ondo state. He was reportedly arrested at the bank of Majidun River in Ikorodu, with two AK47 rifles hidden in a bag he brought from his hideout in the creek.

The police said he had made confessional statements about other gang members.

“Analysis of the GSM number of the arrested suspect revealed his close associate is in the Ikorodu area of Lagos,” the police said.

A statement by the force also said that the suspect, on sighting police operatives deployed to Ikorodu on December 26 to apprehend him, jumped out of his car and escaped into the bush.

“On Searching the Toyota Camry car, two cartons of Gelatine Dynamite Explosives and hundreds of detonators were recovered in the boot of the car,” the statement read.

The police said efforts were to arrest the remaining gang members were ongoing.