Operatives of the Department of State Services arrested two terror suspects at Trademore Estate in the Lugbe area of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, on Monday, October 24.
DSS while acting on a tipoff stormed the estate, shut the entrance and exit gates of the estate before taking the suspects said to be siblings into custody.
Punch reports that residents of the estate claim the operation was carried out by the DSS operatives and some American soldiers. “We were in our houses when our estate was locked up. They did not allow us to go out and they didn’t allow people to come in. Those that came for the operation were DSS and some American soldiers. What I heard was that they were looking for some suspected terrorists.
When they finished what they were doing, all we saw was that they drove away with some people from the estate.”a resident who spoke on condition of anonymity said Also, a message on the estate’s Whatsapp platform urged residents to be vigilant and ensure they know their neighbors. It partly read “It’s no longer news that there was a high-powered sting operation in Phase 3 this afternoon, culminating in a complete shutdown of our estate.
A combination of the American Army and our DSS team were responsible. We are unable to give full details of the reason(s) behind the operation; however, we can confirm that there was an allegation of terrorist activities. It is therefore desperately incumbent on every resident to remain vigilant, know your neighbours and report any suspicious movement, person or activities to the exco, street reps and/or the police.
’We will continue to do our utmost best to keep the estate safe for all of us. Everyone is responsible for security and there should be no iota of abdication of this responsibility.” The DSS is yet to confirm this development. This arrest comes hours after the US released a terror risk alert on Nigeria, especially Abuja.