BOKO HARAM: RED ALERT OVER PLOT TO ATTACK ABUJA

THERE is high alert among the military and security agencies in the Federal Capital Terri­tory (FCT), following intelli­gence report that the Boko Ha­ram terrorists who have been dislodged by the military from their bases were planning to carry out an attack in Abuja.

Specifically, the terrorists plan to carry out their first at­tack on Suleja, Niger State, near Abuja, Gwagwalada, Garki, Central Business Dis­trict, targeting public build­ings and installations among others.

But security sources say they are on the look out for the terrorists who are penetrating Abuja, through the Bwari/Ka­duna, Abuja/Keffi, Abuja/Lo­koja and Abuja/Kaduna axis.

Top military source who confided in Daily Sun in Abu­ja, said the terrorists who have been put on checks since their last attack at the Nyanya bus terminal, have made several attempts to disrupt the relative peace in the nation’s capital.
The source who would not want to be named, told of how a number of the terrorists who tried to plant Improvised Ex­plosive Device (IED), during the National Economic Sum­mit were arrested and taken into custody.

According to the source, but for the determination and combat readiness of the mili­tary, the terrorists would have carried out at least 15 attacks on different parts of the FCT, since April.

The terrorists who are not giving up on the evil plans, ac­cording to sources, said their leaders are sending in their foot soldiers to spy on the city and report back to them.

The foot soldiers who re­portedly take to street trading and other menial jobs when they arrive Abuja, are also said to be taking shelters at mosques, motor parks, mar­kets and other public places at night.

To this end, the security agencies are said to have held meetings with managements of the outfits in the FCT, to alert them to the new trends of the terrorists and advised them not to allow them use their fa­cilities as safe haven.

To effectively combat the activities of the terrorists, the army high command in Abuja, is said to have announced the redeployment of some rugged officers to head some units in the FCT, even as more Rapid Response Squad (RRS) units, have been established in vir­tually all the area councils in the nation’s capital to curb the menace of the insurgents.

Security is now focussed on the satellite towns where the insurgents usually take refuge on arriving the city, while sev­eral snap security checkpoints have also been established on all the entry and exit points to the FCT.

Similarly, village heads and chiefs in villages around the FCT, have been urged to be vigilant and strengthen their local security groups to look out for strangers in their do­main, just as the military has cleared traders and hawkers along the ever busy Nyanya/ Mararaba road to reduce the traffic gridlock on that road. All illegal trading and make­shift structures along the road as well as in the market have been cleared to make room for proper vigilance and monitor­ing of strange characters and movements.

The military say the action was necessary to prevent the insurgents from taking advan­tage of the security lapses.

This is even as continuous raiding of spots considered to be vulnerable in the FCT, by the military and other security agencies in the city in collabo­ration with the federal capital development authorities are ongoing.

Similarly, plain clothes military and security person­nel have been dispatched to all the Internally Displaced Per­sons (IDP) camps, to monitor movements of the terrorists who may want to take advan­tage of the camp to carry out their strike, just as leaders of all the IDPs camp have been put on alert to be on the look out for strangers and people with ulterior motives.

A military officer who pleaded anonymity told Daily Sun yesterday that security agencies are on top of the matter.