Boko Haram plans to bomb Defence Headquarters -Report
- Details
- Category: National Security
- Published on Saturday, 10 September 2011 05:22
- Written by Admin
- Hits: 843
THE armed forces are in possession of intelligence report that the Boko Haram sect plans to bomb the Defence Headquarters, popularly called “Boat House.”
Informed sources in the military disclosed to the Nigerian Tribune that the armed forces are not taking any chances about the threat, as movement is now restricted within the Defence Headquarters complex.
Nigerian Tribune gathered that the Director of Intelligence in the Army, Navy and Air Force headquarters are now coordinating security arrangements at the Defence Headquarters and supervised by a Major-General from the headquarters.
The source revealed that anybody coming to the Defence Headquarters complex must be on appointment from a senior military officer or else no entry for such a visitor.
Also, the road by the gate of the Defence Headquarters has been blocked with military vehicles, with fierce-looking armed soldiers manning it.
The source added that the military high command had consequently advised military officers within the complex to mind the type of visitors they invite into the complex.
Nigerian Tribune gathered that additional security equipment to check vehicles and visitors have been acquired by the armed forces and have already been put to use.
A top source at the Defence Headquarters told the Nigerian Tribune that “the military is the last hope of every Nigerian, and once this place is targeted, then the country is in trouble and that is why additional security measures are being put in place.”
Only one entrance is designated for the service chiefs and senior military officers into the Defence Headquarters which no private car is allowed to use.
The source disclosed that the Boko Haram sect was boasting that since they had succeeded in bombing the Police Headquarters and the United Nations building, there was nothing preventing them from bombing the Defence Headquarters.
Also, the exit gate at the Police Headquarters, which has been under lock since the bombing of the place three months ago, has been blocked with an armoured vehicle to prevent anyone launching an attack from there, just as it was done in the UN House bombing where the bomber drove through a disused entrance.
‘Boko Haram’ll not disintegrate Nigeria’
The presidential adviser on Niger Delta Affairs and chief executive officer of the Amnesty Programme, Honourable Kingsley Kuku, in Abuja, on Thursday, said the activities of the Islamic group, Boko Haram, would not lead to the break up of Nigeria.
Speaking on the implementation of the amnesty programme in the first 100 days of the present administration, Kuku said the crisis would be resolved without disintegrating the country.
He recalled that the country had gone through similar, if not greater challenges since independence, from which it emerged even stronger.
Kuku said God had been kind to Nigeria in the past, adding that he did not expect the Boko Haram insurgency to destroy the country.
On the achievements of the amnesty office, Kuku said, “I wish to report to Nigerians that in the first 100 days of the Jonathan administration, the amnesty programme for ex-militants in the Niger Delta recorded profound successes; and, as a result, peace, safety, security and development are being consolidated in the Niger Delta.”
According to him, 19,000 of the total enrolled number of 20,192 in the first phase of the programme had been fully demobilised, having undertaken non-violence transformational training at the demobilisation camp, located in Obubra, Cross River State.
The final batch of 1,192, according to him, would be demobilised this month, bringing to an end, the demobilisation component of the first phase of the programme.
Kuku reiterated that the amnesty programme did not have a third phase, adding that youths who recently claimed to have surrendered their arms to security agencies would not be accepted into the programme.
He accused unnamed security men of colluding with the agitators in accepting arms from them after the amnesty had closed, instead of them treating those people as criminals in possession of arms.
Illegal immigrants: Customs boss summons state comptrollers
The Comptroller-General of Immigration, Mrs Rose Uzoma, on Thursday, read the Riot Act to the state comptrollers of immigration and other top officers of the service for allowing illegal immigrants into the country and constituting a security risk to the nation.
Mrs Uzoma, who summoned the state comptrollers of immigration service to an emergency meeting in Abuja, on the growing insecurity in the country, was worried that intelligence reports had pointed to the fact that some of the people involved in the recent bomb blasts in Nigeria were foreigners.
She urged the comptrollers to sit up, stressing that the immigration service remained the first line security agent in the country and that efforts must be made to secure the borders.
Uzoma said the government was not unaware of logistic challenges being faced by the service but said efforts were being made to address some of these operational challenges.
“I didn’t call you here today for us to bemoan the lack of logistics we have. I invited all of you to sensitise you to the present challenges once more and to remind you of our duties.
“The situation today is such that, this is not the time to ask what Nigeria can do for you. This is not the time for us to bemoan budgetary insufficiency.
“This is the time for patriotism and display of rare courage and professionalism. This is the time to justify all the investment Nigerian government has made in all of you. This is the time to put to test all the trainings you have received. You just have to ignore the fact that you don’t have enough and make maximum use of what you have to secure our borders and the nation,” the Comptroller-General said.
Mrs Uzoma, who emphasised that she would no longer tolerate excuses from any of the state comptrollers where there were noticeable lapses, particularly blamed the security lapses being experienced on the officers in charge of the northern states. (Tribune)
