Facts have emerged on how the police in Ondo State allegedly leaked the intelligence reports Boko Haram elements planned to attack the state.
On Friday, top security sources claimed that some policemen benefiting from the proceeds of organised crimes leaked the Department of State Services’ secret report made available to the police command in Ondo.
SaharaReporters on Thursday exclusively reported that Boko Haram terrorists were in the border towns of the state planning to rob commercial banks and attack a town.
The insurgents were planning to strike on the major roads in Owo and Ikare by kidnapping passengers for ransom in order to raise funds for their terror campaign.
Soon after the SaharaReporters’ story, it was learnt that a copy of the intelligence report by the DSS to the Ondo police command surfaced on social media platforms.
A top and reliable security source in the DSS on Friday said the report was accurate.
“(We mounted surveillance on) Shasha market, the old garage and some parts of the Oba Ile area of the state which were mostly dominated by northerners shortly after their intelligence reports were confirmed to be true.
“Immediately, we gathered the information on the plan of the insurgents to attack the state, we quickly rose to the challenge by mounting our surveillances and also wrote to the security agencies in the state,” he said.
He added, “It was on the evening of the 29 October 2019, that we dispatched the letter to the Ondo State Police Command, the Nigerian Army and the office of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence (Corps) in Akure.
“Unfortunately, the snitch in the Ondo State Police Command decided to leak the letter which we wrote to the commissioner of police containing the information we gathered to the members of the public.”
He pointed out that the copy of the secret intelligence report leaked to the public was the one sent to the Commissioner of Police, Udie Adie, in Ondo state.
“If you have a copy of the letter with you, just try and check it very well, you would notice that it was folded very well before it was open and the information therein was leaked out.
“No one would have known the content of the letter if it wasn’t leaked out to the public. It was really a big issue that an intelligence report and information of such could be leaked out,” the source noted.
Continuing, he disclosed: “The problem we are facing in Ondo State mostly concerning the issue of insecurity is police officers because it shows they cannot be trusted again in the state.
“This is not the first time (an intelligence report was leaked) would be leaked by the police. There are times culprits would be arrested and the police would release them to their families and asked them to leave the vicinity of the state so that no one would know they were released.
“So, our fear is that one of these policemen might have also leaked the letter or share such information to these hoodlums who are planning to strike any moment in the state.”
Also, a senior military officer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, at the Owena Barracks of the 32 Artillery Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Akure, confirmed the planned Boko Haram attacks.
He told Journalists, “In fact, let me tell you that we were the first security arm that got wind of their plans and we even arrested some suspects when they began to flood the state.
“We needed to hand them over to the DSS for their own discreet investigations after we got the approval to hand them over. I am sure the information we shared with them led to the intelligence that these people were planning an attack.”
Confirming the leaked the letter, one of the most senior DSS officers in Akure told SaharaReporters that the police should be blamed for letting the intelligence report get to the public.
“We are aware that the letter was leaked. It had become a big issue in our office. But we are prepared to tackle it because we not happy about it at all.
“It was meant to be confidential. We don’t know why the police leaked such confidential information to the public.
“We gave them information on our intelligence gathering about a possible attack by some Boko Haram elements in the state and it was leaked. They could not manage it. It is very clear that these people are sabotaging our efforts in the state,” the DSS top shot stated.
Undie could not be reached on the telephone when SaharaReporters attempted to speak with him on Friday.
However, the police spokesman in the state, Femi Joseph, denied receipt of any intelligence report.
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