Although unconfirmed, it is believed that unemployed Ijaw/Ilaje ex-militants and militiamen may be behind the spike in crime rate, within the Lagos metropolis.

Intelligence reports made available to Punch Newspapers, suggests that ex-militants and militiamen are directly responsible for the recent spate of kidnappings, robberies and other criminal activities in the state.

The intelligence reports were said to have been obtained from sources within the police and the Department of State Services.

According the reports, some of the ex-militants, who lost their employments after the cancellation of the pipeline protection contracts by President Muhammadu Buhari, were behind the recent kidnappings and robberies.

The administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan had awarded pipeline security and surveillance contracts, to six companies.

The contract, said to have been worth N9.3bn, was carried out between March 15 and June 15, 2015.

The companies which secured the contracts are owned by former Niger Delta militants- Government Tompolo Ekpumopolo, Mujaheedin Asari-Dokubo, Ateke Toms, Bipobiri Ajube and Ebikabowei Victor Ben (Boyloaf), founder of Oodua Peoples Congress, Fredrick Fasehun and OPC national co-ordinator, Gani Adams.

The pipelines which needed protection are- Egbe Security River One (Bayelsa), Gallery Security (Mosinmi-Ore), Close Body Protection (Edo), Adex Energy Security (Rivers), Donyx Global Concept (Lagos and Ogun), Oil Facilities Surveillance (Delta) and New Age Global Security (Mosinmi-Ibadan).

But after Jonathan was ousted by Buhari in the 2015 election, the new president did not renew the pipeline protection contracts awarded to the six companies.

The ex-militants and militiamen who were saddled with the responsibility of protecting pipelines became jobless, and are now believed to have resorted to kidnappings and robberies to make ends meet.

A senior DSS official was quoted to have revealed that the police and other security agencies had been finding it difficult to control the proliferation of firearms in the possession of the ex-militants.

“Since abduction seems to be profitable and less risky, jobless ex-militants and militia group members seem to have found a lucrative business in the kidnapping of hapless citizens.”