Army raids 45 militant camps in Arepo,  Ibafo

Officers of the Nigerian army have raided and demolished 45 camps run by suspected militants and vandals in the Arepo and Ibafo areas of Ogun state, Southwest Nigeria. The operation which took place recently is said to be one of the biggest and most successful in recent times with various incriminating items were recovered.

The troop led by the Commanding Officer, 174 Battalion, Ikorodu, Lt. Col. Julius Ogbobe, were said to have acted on intelligence gathered.

Items recovered include a bible, seven spider boats, handsets, several  passport photographs, jerry cans, voters cards, bullet proof jackets,  two pairs of police uniform, two laptops, seven walkie talkies, 23 live cartridges,  36 GPMG belt link, deposit slips, used cheque booklets among others.

An officer in the team told The Daily Times that the operation was a very serious one.

“It took hours to completely clampdown on all the camps as the suspected occupants of the camp were taken by surprise. After hours of shooting, we were able to penetrate the camps.  The militants fled, leaving behind their possessions. From what we saw, it was obvious that the militants and vandals have been occupying the demolished camps for sometime.

“There were blood stains and we could also perceive some very offensive odours like that of dead bodies. But upon several search, we weren’t able to find any injured or dead.   Surprisingly, we even saw a burial ground where I suspect they had buried one of their own. We also discovered they even had a drinking spot as several crates of alcoholic substances were seen packed in a makeshift drinking spot.”

It would be recalled that the aforementioned areas have been under several attacks by suspected Niger Delta militants who engage in various criminal activities such as kidnapping, vandal and robbery in the last few months.

Reports have it that many residents of the said area had fled their homes for their safety.