No Boko Haram in Lagos - Aregbesola

The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, has dismissed fears that terrorist group, Boko Haram, has a presence in Lagos State.

The group has mainly terrorised the northeast region and communities in neighbouring countries since 2009, killing thousands and displacing millions.

Fears that the Islamic sect is committed to pushing its operations south of the country have grown over the years, despite its shrinking operations in the past decade.

When quizzed on reports that Boko Haram has a cell in Lagos, Aregbesola said it's never happened according to the facts he has.

"I receive intelligence reports on security every day. I have no such record that Boko Haram has a cell in Lagos," the former Osun State governor said at a media briefing in Abuja on Thursday, November 11, 2021.

Boko Haram's recent expansion plans have been helped by the spike in banditry across the northern region, with armed groups sometimes aligning with the terrorist group for one-off operations.

Niger governor, Abubakar Sani Bello, this week said he's concerned about the group's presence in three local government areas of his state.

Terrorism linked to Boko Haram and its factions has directly and indirectly led to the death of over 350,000 people, according to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).