Two suspected members of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) were apprehended in Lagos State on Sunday, 21 December 2025, by operatives of the State Security Services (SSS) in Apapa.
The suspects, identified as Modu Gana and Ibrahim Dugge, were detained for interrogation following intelligence indicating they had fled from the insurgency-affected North-east to Lagos.
According to a security source, the arrests were made around 8:45 am, and there are currently no indications that the suspects were planning any immediate attack in Nigeria’s commercial capital.
However, experts note that ISWAP has been actively seeking to expand its operations beyond the traditional conflict zones in the North-east.
The SSS has adopted a covert media policy since redeploying its former spokesperson, stating that this approach aids their intelligence functions.
For more than a decade, Boko Haram insurgents have been terrorising Nigeria, before the two internal divisions started to operate separately in 2012 and 2016.
The conflict has now extended beyond Borno, Adamawa and Yobe, the BAY states which have suffered the most from the attack.
While the insurgents have killed thousands of Nigerians and forcibly evicted millions from their homes, security forces have also intensified offensives against them.
Nigeria continues its prolonged campaign against insurgents, with over 13,500 Boko Haram and ISWAP fighters reportedly killed and more than 124,000 surrendering in the past two years under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.