Fear has gripped residents of Lagos following the arrest of two suspected fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province by operatives of the State Security Service. The suspects, identified as Modu Gana and Ibrahim Dugge, were reportedly arrested on Sunday, December 21, in the Apapa area of the state.
A security source said the arrests were carried out at about 8:45 a.m. after intelligence reports indicated that the suspects had relocated from the conflict-hit North-east to Lagos. The source confirmed that the two men are currently in detention and undergoing interrogation by security operatives.
Efforts to obtain official confirmation from the SSS were unsuccessful, as the agency’s media unit said the incident had not been formally communicated.
While there is no immediate evidence of planned attacks, security analysts warn that ISWAP has been seeking to expand its operations beyond its traditional North-east strongholds.