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It is not unusual for some countries to issue travel advisories to their citizens whenever occasion demands. On October 23, 2022, the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK) warned of the possibility of a terrorist attack in Abuja. According to them, the possible attack is aimed, among others, at government buildings, schools, shopping malls, international organisations, law enforcement facilities and worship centres. The UK government added that the said attacks could be indiscriminate and could affect western interests as well as places visited by tourists.
Consequent upon the threat, the US Embassy in Nigeria said it would offer reduced services until further notice. Last week Tuesday, the US government also authorised the departure of of its employees and their families from Nigeria. Some media reports claimed that the trigger for the terror alert was the arrest of one of the inmates of the Kuje Prisons who broke jail on July 5, 2022 but was rearrested within the precinct of the US Embassy in Abuja. In the Kuje Prison attack, 879 detainees reportedly escaped. These included 68 members of the dreaded Boko Haram group imprisoned in the facility.
This is not the first time an alert of this nature would be issued. In December 2017, the US and the UK issued similar warning, prompting the then IGP, Ibrahim Idris, to order Commissioners of Police in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa and Yobe States to ensure 24-hour patrol of worship centres, schools, markets, motor parks and recreation centres. Also, in December 2021, the Presidency warned of a planned attack by some terrorists from Mali during the Christmas holiday.
Even the Department of State Services (DSS) has had cause to issue similar alerts in the past. In June 2019, for instance, the DSS raised the alarm over alleged plots by subversive and undemocratic elements to incite disaffection and violence in Nigeria. The security agency raised similar alarms in July 2020 and January 2021. Besides, Governor Abdulahi Sule of Nasarawa State had warned in January 2021 about Boko Haram insurgents who had settled at the border with the FCT. Governor Abubakar Bello of Niger State also alerted the nation last year to the presence of Boko Haram in his state, warning that even Abuja was not safe.
The security alerts are products of intelligence gathering. No embassy will just wake up and issue alerts if there is no reason for them. What any reasonable country should do is to investigate the information and prepare well to counter any such attack if it comes. Hence, we fault the reaction of the Federal Government through the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, to the recent terror alert. The minister is not a security expert. But the way he dismissed the report cast doubts about the seriousness of Nigeria to rise up to the challenge of curbing terrorism in the country. He claimed that Nigerians are safer now than before. It is obvious this is not true. Lai Mohammed also tried to downplay the alert by drawing attention to the school shootings and other senseless killings in the US. “So have they been able to predict what’s going to happen next? Which school is going to be a victim next? Do Nigerians in the US also feel safe?,” he asked.
Security matters are not issues of propaganda. We believe the US has sophisticated intelligence network to handle certain security matters. In 2020, it rescued its citizen, Philip Watson, held hostage in Nigeria by terrorists. The US Special Operations soldiers (Navy Seal) raided the kidnappers’ den, killed six of them and rescued Watson. Only one of the kidnappers reportedly escaped. The same Navy Seal killed al-Qaida leader, Osama bin Laden in his compound in Pakistan in 2011. The minister also claimed that our security forces had been proactive. The questions are: Were they proactive when terrorists attacked Kuje prison in July this year? Were they at alert when terrorists attacked the Presidential Guard Brigade in Abuja, killing three elite officers?
The good thing is that the police are doing what is expected of them. The Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said the Force would review the security advisories and promised that the Police would not take any threat intelligence for granted. The Force Headquarters said the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, has ordered all the 36 state Commissioners of Police, including that of the FCT and the head of police tactical squads, to re-strategise the security management within their jurisdictions. Baba reportedly also announced a counter-terrorism incident simulation exercise, tagged ‘Operation Darkin Gaggawa,’ which will take place in Abuja.
We expect that rather than be dismissive of such alerts, the Federal Government should compel our security agencies to collaborate, especially on intelligence gathering, and be on the red alert. No nation treats the issue of security with levity. Like the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) advised, churches and all Nigerians should take extra measures to fortify their environments against any attack and also alert security agencies to any suspicious movement in their vicinity. Security consciousness is the way to go and any information on security should be taken seriously. The recent terror alerts should not be dismissed.
