Men of the Nigerian Police have apprehended a member of a Niger Delta Militant group and subsequently foiled an attempt by the notorious group operating from the creeks of Ikorodu and Arepo areas of Lagos and Ogun States, to blow up the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos.
The apprehended suspect, Abiodun Amos, confessed that his group had targeted the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos because the Federal Government had failed to consider them in its Amnesty program.
Abiodun Amos, one of the group’s leaders and explosives expert for the group further revealed that the group had scheduled the attack for Novmbr end before he was apprehended by the Inspector-General of Police Special Intelligence Response Team, led by Assistant Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari.
Speaking on the failed plot, the 43-year-old native of Arogbo, in Ese-Odo Local Government Area of Ondo State said: “We went into bank robberies and kidnapping because we wanted to get government’s attention and all we wanted was for them to grant us amnesty and also offer us pipeline protection contract.
“We have made several appeals but government is not listening to us.
“General Ossy (leader of the gang) said if we don’t blow up the Third Mainland Bridge, government will not listen to us. We had concluded plans to carry out the attack by November ending.
“I am the group’s explosives expert and before I was arrested we were going into the creeks to conclude plans on how to carry out the attack.”
Abiodun Amos was arrested at a river bank in Majidun area of Ikorodu, Lagos, on Monday with two AK-47 rifles in his possession.
Men of the Nigerian police upon further search recovered two cartons of explosives with inscriptions which reads ‘Gelatine Dynamite’ on it and detonators from the group’s vehicle.
