Chioma Okezie-Okeh and Vivian Onyebukwa
Tension has heightened in parts of Lagos after suspected miscreants under the banner of ‘one million boys’ sent letters of intent to attack to residents, threatening to invade their homes. The letter, which has same content but different addresses was pasted on walls of homes while some were dropped in conspicuous areas where the residents will spot them.
Terrified residents after alerting the police still took to the streets Thursday night to resist any invasion of their homes.
According to a source at the Lagos State Police Command , such letters were received by residents of Epe, Magodo, Sango axis, Egbeda, Idimu, Surulere and Okokomaiko.
Although police insist and had severally announced that enough policemen were deployed to all the hotspots, residents believe that the miscreants might still attack as threatened. One of the residents in Ijesha who contacted Saturday Sun as at 9pm on Thursday lamented that everyone on their street was outside to strategize on how to keep their area safe. “Help us and call the police, please tell him that residents who live at Adigun, Olayinka, Ronke, Adeola, Shofolahun, all in Ijesha area are in trouble. All these miscreants wrote a letter to us that we should expect them. They gathered at Ogunlana canal with their cutlasses, guns, axes, and all manner of weapons waiting to attack,” she stated begging for help.
When contacted, the state police spokesman, Bala Elkana reassured that enough police personnel were on ground to secure the lives and properties of residents. “Those letters are mere threats to cause panic. Special forces were deployed around Lagos to deal decisively with criminal elements operating under whatever guise in accordance with the law. Rumour mongering and spreading fake news pose a lot of danger to our collective effort in preventing crime. Lagosians should please remain calm and support the ongoing efforts of the police in ridding the state of criminal elements.”