Nigerian Police prepare for possible terrorist attacks in the North
The death of Al-Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden, has raised the fear of more terrorist attacks in the northern part of the country, sparking concern among the country’s security agencies.
SATURDAY PUNCH investigations during the week showed that the top security chiefs have ordered increased surveillance in the North, particularly on the radical Islamic sect, Boko Haram, which had carried out attacks that led to the death of hundreds of people in Borno, Bauchi, Kaduna, Kano, Plateau and other adjoining states.
The group is believed to be spreading its tentacles and recruiting miscreants in other parts of the North to carry out armed assaults in furtherance of its war against the government and Western education.
Only last week, the group turned down the offer of amnesty granted to its members by the Borno State Government, saying it did not believe in the Nigerian Constitution and would rather submit to pure Islamic laws (Shari’a).
The Inspector-General of Police, Hafiz Ringim, had confirmed the security threat the group posed to the nation when he told journalists that the immediate concern of the police was to combat the menace of the Boko Haram insurgents.
He explained that security had been beefed up in some states like Kano, Kaduna, Bauchi, Plateau and Katsina, where Boko Haram activities were latent, as well as in Borno and Niger, where they enjoyed a measure of sympathy and support.
Ringim stated in Abuja during the week that massive security personnel would be deployed in these states, while intelligence work would be stepped up to root out the menace as soon as possible.
“With the elections over, we will tackle the menace of Boko Haram in the North,” Ringim said. “We will deploy the necessary personnel and equipment there and ensure that we end this threat once and for all. We’re collaborating with other security agencies to achieve this objective.”
Ringim did not give the specifics on how the objective would be accomplished, given the fact that the group had successfully outwitted security agencies several times, using urban guerrilla tactics the police were not fully trained in.
The group recently killed about 14 policemen that were participating in a ‘show of force’ parade in Maiduguri, while the militants lost six men during the surprise attack on the police officers a few days to the governorship election in the state on April 26, 2011.
A senior State Security Service operative told SATURDAY PUNCH that the security agencies were unable to exterminate the group because the issue had been politicised, adding that the objectivity of top security chiefs had been coloured by religious fanaticism and tribalism.
“That is why we have not been able to convict any of the arrested Boko Haram members and others arrested for involvement in security crises in the North. How many of the suspects are still being held now?
“The moment they are taken to Abuja, they are usually granted bail and that would be the end of the matter. For this singular reason, the Boko Haram and other security issues would be with us for a long time because there is no sincerity of purpose in the way the matters are being handled,” he said.
But a top police officer countered this allegation, saying the force had in custody over 200 Boko Haram members, pointing out that their trial was delayed because the Director of Public Prosecution was yet to give an advice on their case.
The officer said, “The suspects are in police custody but we can’t state their location for security reasons. We will like to inform the public when we take them to court, but for the security implications.
“In fact, it is one of the reasons the group has increased its attacks on security personnel, but we’re working to ensure that the arrested members face the law.”
SATURDAY PUNCH investigations during the week showed that the top security chiefs have ordered increased surveillance in the North, particularly on the radical Islamic sect, Boko Haram, which had carried out attacks that led to the death of hundreds of people in Borno, Bauchi, Kaduna, Kano, Plateau and other adjoining states.
The group is believed to be spreading its tentacles and recruiting miscreants in other parts of the North to carry out armed assaults in furtherance of its war against the government and Western education.
Only last week, the group turned down the offer of amnesty granted to its members by the Borno State Government, saying it did not believe in the Nigerian Constitution and would rather submit to pure Islamic laws (Shari’a).
The Inspector-General of Police, Hafiz Ringim, had confirmed the security threat the group posed to the nation when he told journalists that the immediate concern of the police was to combat the menace of the Boko Haram insurgents.
He explained that security had been beefed up in some states like Kano, Kaduna, Bauchi, Plateau and Katsina, where Boko Haram activities were latent, as well as in Borno and Niger, where they enjoyed a measure of sympathy and support.
Ringim stated in Abuja during the week that massive security personnel would be deployed in these states, while intelligence work would be stepped up to root out the menace as soon as possible.
“With the elections over, we will tackle the menace of Boko Haram in the North,” Ringim said. “We will deploy the necessary personnel and equipment there and ensure that we end this threat once and for all. We’re collaborating with other security agencies to achieve this objective.”
Ringim did not give the specifics on how the objective would be accomplished, given the fact that the group had successfully outwitted security agencies several times, using urban guerrilla tactics the police were not fully trained in.
The group recently killed about 14 policemen that were participating in a ‘show of force’ parade in Maiduguri, while the militants lost six men during the surprise attack on the police officers a few days to the governorship election in the state on April 26, 2011.
A senior State Security Service operative told SATURDAY PUNCH that the security agencies were unable to exterminate the group because the issue had been politicised, adding that the objectivity of top security chiefs had been coloured by religious fanaticism and tribalism.
“That is why we have not been able to convict any of the arrested Boko Haram members and others arrested for involvement in security crises in the North. How many of the suspects are still being held now?
“The moment they are taken to Abuja, they are usually granted bail and that would be the end of the matter. For this singular reason, the Boko Haram and other security issues would be with us for a long time because there is no sincerity of purpose in the way the matters are being handled,” he said.
But a top police officer countered this allegation, saying the force had in custody over 200 Boko Haram members, pointing out that their trial was delayed because the Director of Public Prosecution was yet to give an advice on their case.
The officer said, “The suspects are in police custody but we can’t state their location for security reasons. We will like to inform the public when we take them to court, but for the security implications.
“In fact, it is one of the reasons the group has increased its attacks on security personnel, but we’re working to ensure that the arrested members face the law.”
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