The Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), a socio-cultural group in Nigeria’s south-west has threatened to carry out a raid in the Ikorodu area to avenge the
The Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), a socio-cultural group in Nigeria’s south-west has threatened to carry out a raid in the Ikorodu area to avenge the death of its members killed in an attack carried out by suspected militants on Sunday.
At least four police officers and one members of the Nigerian army were also gunned down on Sunday after running into an ambush set by the militants. Residents of the Ishawo area in Ikorodu where the attacks happened said that the OPC group, reputed for occasional resort to violence, advised residents to relocate from the area to avoid being caught in the crossfire during its raid of militant hideout.
One resident said many people who lived in the area had started to move out after noticing the OPC group holding meetings possibly ahead of carrying out its threats. A community leader, Raheem Olanrewaju said that 9 persons including a 2-year-old boy, Chibuike Okeke, allegedly abducted by the militants during the Ikorodu attack were still in captivity.
He said the kidnappers had contacted them but only asked for N3,000 worth of recharge card to make what they called an urgent call.
He said: “A boy was kidnapped and they are yet to get back to us to tell us how much ransom we should bring. You can see that this place has become lonely. People have fled. No one knows what would happen next.
“They killed Osazie, a landlord and a two-year-old boy. The militants killed them. They also shot Mr. Ojo and his wife. They are in the hospital. A little girl and her mother sustained gunshot injuries as well. So many people were injured in the attack. I don’t know the name of the boy that was killed,” Olanrewaju said.
The Ikorodu attack came as a surprise to many following many months of peace in the area and other parts of Lagos terrorized by militants in 2016. Combined operations of the Nigerian Army and the Nigerian Airforce had resulted in the destruction of camps used by the militants while a handful were arrested or killed.
The Lagos state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) while consoling the victims of the Ikorodu attack has however assured residents that the state government had all it took to address the security challenge posed by the militants.
