Fear and anxiety spread across parts of Lagos on Monday following the arrest of two men suspected to be members of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), a development that has raised fresh concerns about the reach of extremist groups beyond Nigeria’s North-East conflict zone.
The suspects were reportedly arrested during a covert intelligence-led operation carried out by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) in the Apapa area of the state, a major commercial and port hub within Nigeria’s economic capital.
Security sources disclosed that the arrests were made after weeks of surveillance, with the suspects believed to have entered Lagos quietly and operated under the radar before being tracked and apprehended by intelligence officers.
The two men, identified as Modu Gana and Ibrahim Dugge, were said to be in the custody of the DSS at the time of reporting, where they are undergoing intensive interrogation to establish their mission, movement patterns and possible links to terror networks within and outside Lagos.
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Although the DSS has not issued an official public statement on the arrests, multiple security-focused reports confirmed that the operation was based on credible intelligence suggesting potential security threats if the suspects were not promptly neutralised.
Residents of Apapa and neighbouring communities expressed shock and unease after news of the arrests filtered through, with many questioning how suspected terror operatives could gain access to Nigeria’s most populated and economically vital city.
The development has also triggered widespread reactions on social media, where Lagos residents called for tighter security checks, enhanced intelligence gathering and greater collaboration between federal and state security agencies.
ISWAP, a breakaway faction of the Boko Haram insurgent group, has been responsible for numerous deadly attacks, particularly in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states, targeting both military formations and civilian populations over the past decade.
Security analysts note that while ISWAP’s main theatre of operations remains in the North-East, recent arrests and intelligence reports suggest an increasing attempt by extremist elements to move operatives or logistics cells to other parts of the country.
Authorities have urged the public to remain calm but vigilant, assuring Nigerians that intelligence agencies are intensifying efforts to dismantle terror networks nationwide and prevent any attempt to destabilise major urban centres like Lagos.
