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| An explosion involving many vehicles, one of many Boko Haram-induced acts |
Unfortunately, Boko Haram struck; and the United States of America issued a terror alert – although the alert has been eased, the damage was already done because the three luxury hotels that investors were likely to lodge, Abuja Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, and Nicon Luxury Hotel, were said to be possible targets of Boko Haram and, therefore, unsafe for westerners. The summit held in one of these hotels.
The theme was “Attracting Foreign Direct Investment through Global Partnerships”. But the Nigerian factor again came to the fore as a power outage created its own scare.
This second season of a lockdown is the immediate consequence of another Boko Haram-induced mayhem which rocked parts of Yobe State last weekend.
When the Police Force Headquarters in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, came out to apologize to Nigerians saying “The Nigeria Police Force wishes to commiserate with the families of victims of the unwarranted attacks that took place in Yobe State on Friday 4th November, 2011”, it all appeared strange. While condemning the attacks, the Police said “The incidents are regrettable, as innocent lives and property were lost. The Nigeria Police and other security agencies hereby offer their condolences to the families of the victims, Government and good people of Yobe State over the callous and criminal act“.
Rather than do its job, why did the Police come out to apologise?
Well, the answer can be located in the fact that when last weekend news broke about the mayhem and massacre arising from yet another round of deadly attacks and bombings by Boko Haram sect in Potiskum and Damaturu in Yobe State, one of the adjourning states to Maiduguri, headquarters of the sect, Nigerians were taken aback because victims of the bombings were mostly poor, innocent citizens which the group had all along claimed it was fighting for.
After all, the demand by the group originally that they abhorred western education and other western inventions, was occasioned by the fact that after spending several years going through the education system, several millions of able bodied youths cannot get jobs, thus increasing the poverty rate and unemployment challenges particularly in the North.
At the end of the attack and bombings, eyewitness accounts put the death toll at over 100 persons but the Police have come out to give the true number of those killed categorically, “For avoidance of doubts, the Nigeria Police hereby confirms 65 deaths – 11 Policemen, 2 Soldiers, 2 Civil Defence Personnel, 1 Immigration Personnel, 1 Customs Personnel, 1 FRSC Personnel, 11 Civilians while 36 suspected Boko Haram members were also killed in the mayhem”, the Police said.
However, the manner of the Boko Haram attacks and bombings which took place even after the hierarchy of the Police had issued a red alert to all Commissioners of Police in the country with emphasis on states in the northern parts of the country, following verifiable intelligence that the sect planned to attack during the Sallah period, appeared to have been taken lightly.
Consequently Sunday Vanguard gathered that the Police hierarchy has already concluded plans to take drastic actions against some of the Commissioners of Police operating in states in the area, because of what is being perceived as their inability to prevent the bloody attacks.
Though preliminary investigations have shown that the sect originally planned to bomb the Maiduguri headquarters of the Joint Task Force as revenge for the military crackdown on their activities, the fact that the bombers had the liberty of moving all the way from Borno through Gombe before entering the heart of the city of Yobe without Police personnel stopping or intercepting them is what shocked the Police high command.
The truck carrying the sect members and their explosives was said to have been sighted early last Friday November 4, 2011, close to the Gombe/Yobe border, obviously making its way to Maiduguri. But once it became obvious to the bombers that their mission may have been unearthed, they made a detour to Yobe State.
On entering Yobe State, operatives of security agencies including Mobile Police personnel and other security operatives opened fire on the truck and injured some of the sect members inside it. The truck was said to have continued its movement with the occupants shooting sporadically along the road at any Police checkpoint or security personnel they met on the road until the truck got to the city center.
At the city center, the group members started throwing bombs at any notable government structure and churches they met on the way before the truck was said to have exploded following a counter attack from security agencies that had become effectively mobilised.
A fall out of the Yobe bombings which however triggered some controversy was the decision of the American government to issue a warning to its citizens to stay off three high profile hotels in Abuja, attributing this warning to intelligence reports available to it which showed that the Boko Haram sect had targeted the hotels for suicide bomb attacks.
The US’ disclosure obviously caused panic in the federal capital territory resulting in many diplomats, tourists, investors and visitors alike canceling their reservations while those who had checked into these hotels quickly checked out because such US warnings can never be taken lightly.
Following the US warning, the nation’s top security adviser, General Owoye Andrew Azazi, dismissed the warning saying his office was on top of the security situation in the country, insisting that the threat by Boko Haram to bomb three luxury hotels in Abuja was not news as proactive measures to protect designated critical facilities and others have been taken for over three months by security agencies.
His words, “The attention of the Federal Government has been drawn to a publication making the rounds in the media of planned attacks on three major hotels in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
“Expectantly, the publication is eliciting unhealthy public anxiety and generating avoidable tension. The Federal Government wants to advise members of the public that it would continue to ensure the security of lives and property under its jurisdiction despite the unfortunate events in Maiduguri and Yobe over weekend.”
He then advised members of the public “to go about their normal businesses without fear or hindrance and assured that security agencies have emplaced adequate counter measures to secure lives and property.”
Both human and vehicular movement into and out of the hotels remained scanty as people stayed away in spite of the security presence and vehicles that had cause to visit these hotels were subjected to stringent scrutiny with metal detectors with the bonnet and booth of primary concern.
The deployment of soldiers, Sunday Vanguard gathered, was to complement the deployment of scores of plain clothes policemen into the streets of Abuja by the FCT Police Command as well as the deployment of several armoured personnel carriers, bomb disposal unit and anti-terrorism personnel by Force Headquarters on Monday. There were also additional checkpoints manned by both the Police and the military in different locations of Abuja conducting stop and search operation on all vehicles with emphasis said to be on all exit and entry points into and out of FCT.
Residents are being informed that tougher security measures would be put in place.
It would be recalled that among measures earlier forced on residents as a result of the Boko Haram insurgency include but were not limited to setting a closing time for drinking joints beer villages in the city, removal of broken down vehicles on streets, stringent scrutiny of vehicles coming into and out of Abuja (the last one created chaos and utter punishment for residents.
In fact, it was a somber mood at the economic summit though President Goodluck Jonathan put up a bold face.
Firstly, he did the honourable thing by admitting that the Boko Haram threat was clear and present though temporary.
President Jonathan said it would soon be a thing of the past.
Speaking, the President said that his administration was acquiring and deploying all necessary security infrastructure to defeat the terrorists in order to make the nation an investors’ haven in her quest to becoming a key global economic power.
His words, “we are working very hard to provide a conducive atmosphere for investors. Although we currently have the Boko Haram problem, just like terrorist activities in other parts of the globe but I can assure Nigerians and the global community that we will soon overcome. All those involved in 2010 Independence Day attacks have been arrested. We admit that one primary responsibility is to provide security and we are working on it. Book Haram is a temporary setback. Let me appeal, once again, to our global partners to see us as partners in progress. The investment environment in Nigeria is ripe. We are taking necessary steps to put in place appropriate legislation to guarantee and protect your investments. We are not unmindful of the security challenges that confront us. Government is taking firm steps to address the problem. We will continue to fight crime, punish offenders and do everything necessary to make our country conducive for everyone to live in and engage in genuine enterprises”.
Now, whether President Jonathan meant this or not, it may never be known; but he added: “Those who fail to invest in Nigeria now will regret”.
But on the controversial subsidy issue, the president said that his political opponents were playing politics and trying to misinform the Nigerian populace with an ulterior motive of bringing down his government. Dr. Jonathan singled out his arch-Presidential polls rival, General Muhammadu Buhari as the only opposition politician that was honest in his position about the need to remove the subsidy and that the policy required an extensive education among the people to enable them appreciate the benefits that would accrue to them from the removal of the subsidy on petroleum products.
“Unfortunately, here, people play politics with all things. Now even some of those who were arguing for the removal of subsidy before are now speaking from the other side of the mouth. Now they want to bring down the government. It is only General (Muhammadu) Buhari who has come out openly and spoke for the removal of subsidy. We have to educate the people, otherwise, some people, for political reasons, will misinform the people. If we don’t deregulate now, in 10-15 years, we will be importing fuel from Ghana, Chad and other neighbouring countries”, he said.
But President Jonathan need not be reminded that there had been reports that Nigeria is sending crude to Niger Republic for refining. Did it take Niger 10-15 years to build a refinery? Had the funds spent during the presidential primaries of PDP and for the president’s mobilization and campaign for election, not been spent wastefully, President Jonathan may be on solid ground in making a case for subsidy removal?
Other speakers like Africa’s richest business man, Aliko Dangote also lent his voice to the need for investors to come into the country.
Dangote said his investment in cement alone had hit $7 billion and that if he had access to as much as $20 billion, he would invest it all in Nigeria with a view to saturating the Nigerian large market and meeting the needs of the West African Sub-Region.
“If I have $ 20 billion dollars, I will invest all of it in Nigeria. This is the best country to invest, considering the large market in-country and the West African sub-region which is ready assessable to Nigerian manufacturers. The problem of the perception of the risk in Nigeria is because many investors do not go out on their own to have first-hand information”, he said.
Earlier, the Chairman of the Board of the NESG, Mr. Foluso Philips, said that the Nigerian economy was set to be discovered by many international investors, expressing optimism that more investors would come into the nation than had been witnessed in the past.
“Nigeria offer every investor, not just a good ready market but a good return”, he told the audience, while urging the government to ensure a good business environment that could provide employment opportunities for the nation’s large youth population..
Meanwhile, in a swift move to avert further terrorist attacks as predicted by the United States government, the President has directed the immediate completion of top security equipment project in the country, before the end of November.
The presidential directive coincides with an order by Andrew Azazi, National Security Adviser, NSA, to Ministries, Departments And Agencies, MDAs to volunteer capable hands to be trained by his office on counter terrorism and emergency response strategies.
Already, following the security alert, the office of the National Security Adviser, NSA, it was learnt has ordered a 24-hour-surveillance around all hotels that have over fifty room capacity while all public infrastructure and private recreational centres are now to be manned by plain-clothes security operatives.
A top Presidency source told Sunday Vanguard that the different security agencies under the office of the NSA have intensified physical security checks across the FCT and major cities across the country as well as deployment of intelligence personnel to busy hotels and offices across the country.
While these dramatizations were going on, some gunmen believed to be Boko Haram members on Wednesday evening attacked and bombed the Mainok Police outpost and the office of the Federal Road Safety FRSC, leaving two people dead. Mainok is a town in Kaga Local Government area of Borno state situated along the Maiduguri- Damaturu- Kano road. It was gathered that the gunmen arrived the town at about 6pm, bombed the police outpost and also attacked the FRSC office and escaped without being arrested.
Confirming the attacks, the Spokesman of the Joint Task Foce, JTF, Lt. Col. Hassan Mohammed told our Correspondent that, some unknown gunmen attacked Minok Police station as well as the office of the FRSC which left two people dead.
SOURCE: Vanguard
