DSS Arrests Two Suspected ISWAP Members in Lagos

• Operatives of the Department of State Security have arrested two suspected ISWAP members in Lagos following intelligence reports that they relocated from the North-East.

Two suspected members of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) have been arrested in Lagos State by operatives of the Department of State Security (DSS).

The suspects, identified as Modu Gana and Ibrahim Dugge, were apprehended on Sunday, December 21, during an operation carried out in Apapa, Lagos.

A security source with direct knowledge of the operation disclosed that the arrests took place around 8:45am, adding that both men are currently in DSS custody for interrogation.

According to findings, the arrests followed intelligence reports indicating that the suspects had fled the insurgency-ravaged North-East region and relocated to Lagos. The specific mission of the suspects in the state was, however, not immediately clear at the time of reporting.

When contacted, an official of the DSS media unit said the arrests had not yet been formally brought to the agency’s attention.

Since the redeployment of its former spokesperson, Peter Afunanya, the DSS has maintained a low-profile media approach, explaining that the strategy allows the agency to carry out intelligence operations more effectively.

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ISWAP has previously carried out attacks outside its traditional strongholds. In June 2022, the group launched a deadly attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, killing dozens of worshippers during a church service.

The DSS had also issued warnings in recent months that the terror group was planning attacks in some states, including Ondo. The arrest of the two suspects has raised fresh concerns that ISWAP may be seeking to expand its operations into the South-West.