By Philip Nwosu and Christopher Oji
There are indications that suspected vandals who survived the military offensive in their hide-outs at Arepo and Ikorodu area are fleeing fleeing to the riverine communities of Ondo and Delta states.
Daily Sun on Monday had reported that the vandals, who survived the aerial bombardment by the Nigerian Air Force of their camps at Arepo, Ogun and Ikorodu, Lagos, are now moving in droves into the two states.
A top military source told Daily Sun that intelligence reports shwed that some of the oil thieves had sneaked into the reverine communities in Delta and Ondo states, but added that there would be no hiding place for the fleeing hoodlums.
One of the commanders of the operation said: ‘‘Arepo can no longer contain them. Some of them have run to those states to hide in the riverine areas.’’
It was learnt that some of the militants were still trapped in Arepo and other communities in Lagos and were making frantic moves to escape.
The fighter aircrafts of NAF had destroyed the major camps of the vandals at Arepo, known as Fatola and Abuja, and two others during four days of sustained aerial bombardment in the area.
The Air Force explained earlier yesterday that its fighter planes had struck at criminal hideouts and camps harbouring pipeline vandals at Arepo and environs.
A statement from the NAF spokesman, Group Captain Ayodele Famuyiwa said: “The latest air strike is in continuation of the aerial bombardment commenced by the NAF on Thursday 28 July, 2016 to rid the affected areas of pipeline vandals and other criminal elements. The ongoing air operations is aimed at providing air support for the Joint Task Force recently set-up by the Defence Headquarters to dislodge pipeline vandals in the South West region of the country in an operation codenamed Operation Awase.”
FAmuyiwa said there were indications based on analysis of the enclosed footage on intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) as well as strike and battle damage assessment (BDA) missions undertaken by NAF aircraft that the vandals have been sufficiently displaced from their current locations at Arepo while their criminal activities have also been heavily disrupted.
He said NAF was intensifying its ongoing air operations day and night to neutralise the remnants of the vandals who might have relocated deep inside the mangrove forest.