HUNDREDS of jerry cans littered the creeks and surrounding bushes. From a distance, countless wooden boats stocked with 50-litre jerry cans dotted the horizon. Pipes, pumping machines and tractors probably used to illegally mine sand dotted the jungle.
Bullet-riddled vehicles with shattered windscreens were on parts of the road, with less than 20 residents sighted. Some of the jerry cans bore the inscription ‘RS’.
Creek dwellings in the riverine communities of Lagos and Ogun states, especially Elepete, may be located far from urban residential areas, but newly built houses and uncompleted structures abound, apparently intended by the vandals to bring them closer to the loading bay tagged ‘General’s Republic’.
Until their venture into senseless raping, killing and kidnapping, the militants inhabited a world of their own. They hoisted flags and dug boreholes with links to underground Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) pipelines located kilometres away. Thus they raked in millions of dollars illegally while the nation grappled with economic woes.
Investigation by The Nation revealed that gas stations located in the affected areas were major beneficiaries of stolen petroleum products, with some paying as low as N500, 000 for the content of a 33, 000-litre fuel tanker. It was also discovered that some of the stations were directly involved in the theft, as they had pumping machines directly connected to the pipelines.
For many years, the business went on unhindered with residents of Ikorodu, Arepo, Ibafo, Igando and others connected by the waterways working as spies, informants and messengers for the vandals. They looked the other way whenever tankers and trucks laden with jerry cans of fuel passed through their communities in the wee hours of the night, particularly when their petty snack and beverage businesses enjoyed greater patronage.
With the eventual suspension of pipeline operation, however, the criminals no longer had access to the oil millions and they resorted to terrorising the residents who, in their belief, reported them to the authorities.
Short of food and money, the criminals went after the residents, decimating their livestock, raiding shops, raping women and children, stealing money, kidnapping for ransom and murdering some of the landlords in cold blood.
In some instances, the criminals beheaded victims and took body parts away, leaving the bereaved with portions of their loved ones for interment.
For several months, the rampaging militants held sway, as they ambushed and killed security operatives who dared to enter the creeks. Their onslaught continued unabated until July, when a joint taskforce codenamed Operation AWATSE launched an offensive to rid the communities of the urchins that have chased residents from their homes and killed nearly a thousand in two months.
The concerned areas, which used to be a beehive, became deserted. For the few who managed to stay for lack of an alternative, dusk began at 5:00 p.m. and dawn not earlier than 8:00 a.m.
Operation AWATSE
Launched in 2014 by the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) to clear the Majidun area of Ikorodu of pipeline vandals who hitherto used it as a haven, Operation AWATSE (the latter is a Hausa word for ‘scatter’), chaired by the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) Western Naval Command (WNC) Rear Admiral Fergusson Bobai between July 28 and August 4, sustained aerial bombardment of Fatola, Warewa, Elepete, Ishawo, Arepo and Ibafo.
The operation allegedly saw several hundreds of the militants killed. With the offensive by Nigerian Air Force (NAF) fighter jets, MIG 34 and ATR4, the ground forces, led by AWATSE’s field commander, Colonel Julius Ogbobe, combed the creeks, destroying camps that included an observation post set up by the criminals. According to military sources, the militants bore sophisticated weapons, including General Purpose Machine Guns, gunboats and rocket launchers.
The troops, it was gathered, arrested 30 militants, and recovered pictures, bank tellers, registers containing names, assorted weapons and ammunition in the course of the raid. All were handed over to the Department of State Services (DSS).
Kidnapped victims
Among inhabitants of the area kidnapped by the militants are four junior secondary students of the Lagos State Model College, Igbonla in Epe, Abu, Emmanuel Okonkwo, Jeremiah Ruth and Isaac Adebisi as well as their Vice Principal, A.O. Oyesola, English teacher, Lukman Oyerinde, three women and a six-month-old baby, Toyosi Aboderin, Ogechi Maku, Toju Amorighoye and Funniyi Tayo Lawal (baby), all abducted at Epe. The were Also the Isheri landlords, Kennedy Ucheagwu, Dr Omololu Bello, Fidelis Esang and trainer Olalere Olawale.
Others were three poultry farmers abducted on July 17 at Agbowa, Ikorodu: Alhaji Oyebanji Wasiu, Alhaji Isiaka Owolabi and Abiodun Adeniyi. The kidnappers collected N22 million, after which they murdered Adeniyi.
In addition were a Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) pastor, Kayode Bajomo, the Iba monarch, Oba Goriola Oseni, several landlords at Iba Housing Estate and three female students of Babington Macaulay Junior Seminary (BMJS), Funmi Ogunmefun, Oluwatimileyin Olusa and Deborah Akinayo. Some of these kidnap victims have since been released.
The missing
Some families were yet to come to a closure several months after the militants’ invasion as the whereabouts of their relatives remained unknown.
Saturday Odigie, Kareem Abubakar, Moses Kehinde and Fatai Bamgbose, seven DSS operatives, an unspecified number of naval personnel and about five policemen fall in this category. None of them has been seen by their families since they were whisked away by the militants.
It was gathered that Odigie and Abubakar were kidnapped in January after they were accused of being security informants by the militants, whereas Kehinde and Bamgbose disappeared in June.
Most of the security operatives, The Nation gathered, were killed and buried in shallow graves. However, no one has been able to confirm the locations of the graves nor have their bodies been returned to their families for proper burial.
Return of the vandals
Calm returned to the riverine areas after the military onslaught that lasted about two weeks. Nevertheless, the residents on their return to start afresh struggled to enjoy the peace with renewed militancy.
Militants dislodged from the creeks, investigation revealed, have regrouped at Warewa, from where they easily access other parts of the state to wreak havoc. It was gathered that over 2, 000 of them, armed to the teeth, were inside the Warewa creeks.
Security sources confirmed that those who fled to Ondo, Edo and Delta states during the offensive were gradually returning to Ibafo, Ikorodu, Epe and Iba in a bid to gain more ground. The Nation gathered that the gunmen, who claimed to be freedom fighters, have used heavy material to barricade the shallow waters, making it impossible for the Nigerian Navy gunboats to penetrate.
It was gathered that the militants have, however, fled Arepo and Ishawo as a result of the swarm buggy provided by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, which made it possible for security forces to navigate the two communities within three minutes.
A source said: “They are regrouping. Feelers we have indicate that the militants were still in Warewa, while more are infiltrating Iba and Ibafo. We have also made moves and deployed necessary equipment to flush them out of the area. They have fled Arepo and Ishawo because the state governor took the bull by the horns and provided swam buggy. With this, we can navigate from Ishawo to Arepo in three minutes.
“Also, the government is constructing roads to link the communities so that security vehicles can readily access the communities and ward off the miscreants. The major problem we have is inaccessibility. Once that is sorted out, especially with those permanent structures built on the right of way, the hoodlums won’t have any hiding place within Lagos and Ogun states. These are active obstacles that need to be removed. Security forces need to be able to patrol the entire areas connected by the water within an hour.”
A visit to Barr. ABC and Ezeokoye Streets in Arepo revealed that there were about five entry/exit points used by the militants inside the creeks.
A hotel in Owutu, Western Lodge allegedly used by the militants has been taken over by the security forces following an order from Governor Ambode, it was learnt.
Residents speak
To the residents, the military operation should not relapse, especially as Christmas is around the corner.
At Pipeline Junction, Ebute Road, Ibafo, The Nation observed that most of the residents have relocated for fear of the unknown.
A proprietor, Dr Ben Osadolor, appealed that soldiers be returned to the area. He said that the community knew peace in the weeks that the operations lasted and in subsequent weeks, noting that the situation appeared to have degenerated.
A petty trader, who declined to be named, said that the gunmen usually came in the night to rape women and children, adding that they lived in constant fear. The woman who said life was unbearable as a result of the militants, added that her business was grounded. “We enjoyed some peace during the operation, but for some time now, the militants have resumed their activities. They break into our shops, rob, rape and even kill people.
“They kill our goats and chickens, too, and steal raw food items. You can see how empty this area is. People have fled. Things are not moving. I think the government should construct good road and give us electricity here. That way, the criminals would leave our community and look for another place.”
Bobai, who led some senior officers on a tour of the area in August assured all that the operation would continue until the militants were completely stamped out. He also hinted on plans by the military to establish a permanent base in the general area for quick responses, assuring residents of their safety.
He said: “We got a directive from the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Gabriel Olonisakin, to carry out an operation in Arepo and dismantle the vandals’ camps scattered around the area.
Initially, we were directed not to use air power but when we carried out an assessment of the area, the vandals had moved from accessible areas to the mangroves.
“So, we got back to the CDS informing him that taking out the target is through air power, and we were directed to do a general assessment and deploy attack helicopters. So, we first deployed a surveillance aircraft to see the area and we analysed the videos and pinpointed the places to be destroyed.
“The revelation from the video showed that a lot of pipeline vandalism was taking place. We could see several jerry cans chained together in the area. Because the area wasn’t easily accessible as a result of bad roads and shallow waters, the vandals had a booming business. They also used trees to cause obstruction on the waterways. It is an organised crime and the militants are well armed.
“The Nigerian Navy under the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ette Ibas has zero tolerance for crude oil theft, militancy and other forms of illegality.”
