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Wednesday, 10 August 2016

How Lagos State bombed Yoruba political thugs APC used to rig elections and labelled them Niger Delta Militants: The real story behind the Arepo bombing


FILE: Akinwunmi Ambode at the occasion of his declaration as All Progressives Congress Governorship Candidate for Lagos State on October 24, 2014 | YNaija


The real story behind the bombing of militants in Arepo in riverine community and militant hideout in Ogun State may be finally making its way into the public.

An exclusive ‘inside story’ has surfaced on an online platform, Lagos Herald, who have asserted that the militants being bombed in Arepo were a creation of the Lagos APC for the purpose of winning the 2015 Lagos general elections by all costs.


The story makes a number of weighty allegations against the Lagos APC which are shocking. We want to believe that they are not true, but from our experience in reporting news, sometimes, the truth is stranger than fiction.

“The militants bombed at Arepo and Ikorodu axis are Yoruba and not Ijaw, as gathered by Lagos herald news crew the purpose of the attack is to cover up the story behind it,” the Lagos Herald reports.

“Before 2015 general election, Lagos All Progressives Congress, APC was scared of losing the state to People’s Democratic Party, PDP, they decided to bring in Ambode kinsmen from Ese Odo Local Government Area in Ondo State and some other willing youths from the riverine area of the state.

“The youths came to Lagos with the hope and aspiration of fighting for one of theirs, not knowing he doesn’t have anything for them anyway.

“The boys were mainly stationed in Ikorodu LG which is Jimi Agbaje stronghold, some of them at Ibeju-Lekki and Eti-Osa LG.

“Due to Adewale Aeroland popularity and grassroot movement in Lagos west and large population of Igbo in the area, they moved some to Iba-Ojo axis to checkmate Aeroland for Yayi.”

The story alleged that the Lagos monarch who was recently kidnapped by the militants was a co-ordinator of the political thugs, providing logistics for them during the tension soaked 2015 elections.

“The king that was kidnapped recently was one of those in charge of accommodation and ensuring local integration, all was done with a big promise of cash and job after election”, the report says.

“The bunkering going on at Arepo was a coordinated business between the militants and some part of the law enforcement agencies. Some of those that were killed recently have nothing to do with it.

“When the election was postponed and APC Lagos chapter ran out of cash, they used some of the boys to rob a bank at Lekki on March 12 to oil the campaign machine before March 28 presidential election.

“The rest of the boys activities are story

“Almost a year after the election, most of the boys are yet to get what they were promised, most of them joined the existing bunkering operation in the area where they were stationed while some of them went back home.

“The leader of the group around Ojo keep threatening the king that was the link between him and the politicians in charge to pay up or they will unleash mayhem on the community. Since the leader didn’t get any positive result, the group went ahead to kidnapped the king.

“At the intervention of the governor, the king was released and he promised them that cash will arrive soon.

“The news of anticipated cash filter to Igbokoda, Igbobini, Gbabijo, and other Ilaje and Arogbo towns in Ondo State. The youths mobilized themselves and congregate in Lagos to get paid, not knowing it was a bait.

“Fight broke out within the group, and police sided with those existing at Arepo and other communities to kill some of the new joiners that came from Ondo State, the new joiners promised to retaliate if police refused to give them the corpse of their dead colleagues for proper burial.

“The chaos continue to spread to neighbouring camps, some of the political thugs threatening the governor that they will spill the bean and tell the world their story, that prompted the governor to quickly request for aerial bombardment through his letter to the president and military command.

“The purpose was to bomb the people and their story into oblivion. One of them who is alive shared this story,” the report concluded.
-Chidi Arua (The Trent)

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