Security chiefs yesterday urged residents not to panic over the threat by Boko Haram to invade prisons in Lagos to free its detained members.
They dismissed the threat as empty.
Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) Western Naval Command (WNC) Rear Admiral Fergusson Bobai, said prisons in Lagos were well guarded, adding that the navy which also shares boundary with some of the prisons has a fortified territory.
Admiral Bobai said: “We have been on high alert since they threatened to bomb some facilities in the state and we have not stepped it down. Although we do not have any information to the effect that they plan to attack prisons in Lagos, I can tell you that the prisons are well guarded by the Army, the Police and the prison guards.
“Also, we have fortified our territory because we are neighbours with the prisons. So, we are on the alert.”
General Officer Commanding (GOC) 81 Division, Maj.-Gen. Isidore Edet said the army does not take any threat to lives and property lightly.
“It is not the first time they have threatened. The Federal Government, which the army serves, takes any threat to lives and property seriously. We have been putting efforts on ground and that has made them not to succeed in Lagos.
“We have been arresting Boko Haram elements almost on a daily basis since I came to Lagos. I have said so in one of my press statements. We have been doing this without the threats made in the press. So, what we do isn’t what we should put up in the media. We take no threat lightly,” he said.
Police Commissioner Fatai Owoseni said “proactive measures are in place to ensure that terrorists do not succeed.”
