Anxiety has rippled through parts of Lagos following the arrest of two men suspected to be members of the Islamic State West Africa Province by operatives of the State Security Service.
Security sources disclosed that the suspects were apprehended on Sunday morning in the Apapa area of the state after intelligence reports flagged their movement from the North-East, where insurgency has persisted for years, to the nation’s commercial hub.
The men, identified as Modu Gana and Ibrahim Dugge, were reportedly picked up around 8:45 a.m. during a discreet operation. They are currently being held in custody and subjected to intensive interrogation as investigators work to establish their identities, networks and mission.
Although the arrests have triggered concern among residents, particularly given Lagos’ dense population and strategic importance, security insiders noted that there is, for now, no concrete evidence linking the suspects to any immediate plot to carry out attacks in the state.
Attempts to obtain official confirmation from the SSS proved abortive. A source within the agency’s media unit said the development had not yet been formally briefed to them, reflecting the service’s increasingly restrained public communication posture.
Since the redeployment of its former spokesman, Peter Afunanya, the secret police has adopted a low-profile media strategy, which officials say is aimed at safeguarding operational effectiveness.
