Fear gripped many residents on Thursday when news filtered that troops numbering about 100 stormed terror suspects' hideout in Ijora, a densely populated part of the city.
The soldiers were arrested by men of the State Security Service, who were believed to have acted on a tip-off. They were said to have stormed the area at around 7am today in search of the suspects said to be members of an Islamic fundamentalist sect, Boko Haram.
It was learnt that their search yielded fruits when two persons were arrested at 24 Aromire Street and three others at a location in an adjacent street.
The soldiers ransacked the building at Aromire Street where one of the arrested persons, Ibrahim Musa, occupied five rooms. A bomb kept in a cooler and hidden inside the ceiling of one of the rooms in Musa's apartment was recovered by the soldiers.
Musa, who a security source described as an illegal alien from Chad, was said to be the leader of the suspects.
Other items found were AK-47 rifles, cartridges and daggers.
The security source who craved anonymity, added that the raid was as a result of an investigation which began a month ago.
He said, "Security agents got information a month ago that there was a terrorist hideout in the Seven Up area of Ijora. Although we were not sure if they were Boko Haram members or not, we did not want to take any chances, so we decided to go and raid the place.
"It was discovered that the place was being run by a Chadian and arms were recovered during the raid, including AK-47 rifles. Investigations are on going, and those not found culpable will be released."
Musa's neighbor who craved anonymity, said that they did not suspect he was a member of Boko Haram.
He said the suspect moved into the house less than three months ago.
"Musa rented his apartment about three months ago. However, since he moved in with his wife, who recently had a baby and a brother, none of them had any known form of livelihood. Musa and his brother, were particularly going about with their laptops and expensive phones.
"Though he (Musa) was not working, he was usually the first to pay for anything in the house. It was when the soldiers came that we got to know what they truly are. It was in the course of beating him that he told the soldiers where he hid the bombs and guns.
When the soldiers were going, they warned the residents to remain vigilant, saying Boko Haram members had infiltrated the area, particularly the Hausa settlement.
The Ojora of Ijora, Oba Fatai Adeyinka expressed shock that Boko Haram members had infiltrated the area.
The spokesman for the Army 81 Division, Colonel Kingsley Umoh, confirmed the raid but said the army had been carrying out constant raids across the state in response to the rising level of insecurity in the country.
Umoh said over 36 people had been arrested recently. He however said he had yet to receive the details of Thursday's operation.
Fear gripped many residents on Thursday when news filtered that troops numbering about 100 stormed terror suspects' hideout in Ijora, a densely populated part of the city.
The soldiers were arrested by men of the State Security Service, who were believed to have acted on a tip-off. They were said to have stormed the area at around 7am today in search of the suspects said to be members of an Islamic fundamentalist sect, Boko Haram.
It was learnt that their search yielded fruits when two persons were arrested at 24 Aromire Street and three others at a location in an adjacent street.
The soldiers ransacked the building at Aromire Street where one of the arrested persons, Ibrahim Musa, occupied five rooms. A bomb kept in a cooler and hidden inside the ceiling of one of the rooms in Musa's apartment was recovered by the soldiers.
Musa, who a security source described as an illegal alien from Chad, was said to be the leader of the suspects.
Other items found were AK-47 rifles, cartridges and daggers.
The security source who craved anonymity, added that the raid was as a result of an investigation which began a month ago.
He said, "Security agents got information a month ago that there was a terrorist hideout in the Seven Up area of Ijora. Although we were not sure if they were Boko Haram members or not, we did not want to take any chances, so we decided to go and raid the place.
"It was discovered that the place was being run by a Chadian and arms were recovered during the raid, including AK-47 rifles. Investigations are on going, and those not found culpable will be released."
Musa's neighbor who craved anonymity, said that they did not suspect he was a member of Boko Haram.
He said the suspect moved into the house less than three months ago.
"Musa rented his apartment about three months ago. However, since he moved in with his wife, who recently had a baby and a brother, none of them had any known form of livelihood. Musa and his brother, were particularly going about with their laptops and expensive phones.
"Though he (Musa) was not working, he was usually the first to pay for anything in the house. It was when the soldiers came that we got to know what they truly are. It was in the course of beating him that he told the soldiers where he hid the bombs and guns.
When the soldiers were going, they warned the residents to remain vigilant, saying Boko Haram members had infiltrated the area, particularly the Hausa settlement.
The Ojora of Ijora, Oba Fatai Adeyinka expressed shock that Boko Haram members had infiltrated the area.
The spokesman for the Army 81 Division, Colonel Kingsley Umoh, confirmed the raid but said the army had been carrying out constant raids across the state in response to the rising level of insecurity in the country.
Umoh said over 36 people had been arrested recently. He however said he had yet to receive the details of Thursday's operation.
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