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LAGOS. — Nigeria’s secret police have arrested and charged 45 suspects over an alleged Boko Haram plot to attack the country’s financial hub, Lagos, sources with knowledge of the matter told AFP on Sunday. “About 60 suspects were picked up from different locations in Lagos by the Department of State Services (DSS) acting on intelligence information they were planning to attack Dolphin Estate in Ikoyi last month,” said one source.

Both sources, who asked not to be identified for security reasons, said some of the suspects were released after preliminary investigations, while 45 others were taken to a magistrate court on Friday.

“They were arraigned on holding charges. The DSS urged the court to remand them in prison pending further investigation and their eventual arraignment before a high court,” said one.

Dolphin Estate is a gated community on the upscale Ikoyi island, which is home to wealthy Nigerians as well as expatriate workers, many of them in the oil and gas industry.

Any attack on Lagos, which drives Nigeria’s economy and is seen by many foreign governments as a gateway to West Africa, would likely send shockwaves through both. Lagos State Information Commissioner Steve Ayorinde on Saturday called for the public’s help in ensuring the safety of the megacity’s 20 million-strong population.

“Our appeal goes to every school, housing estates, religious houses, markets and shopping complexes, hotels and restaurants and sporting arenas to take issues of security and personal safety more seriously these days and to work with both the government and security agencies in promptly reporting any persons with suspicious activities or unusual gatherings that may compromise security,” he said. — AFP.