Hello Friends!
This seems to be good and encouraging news in respect to the state of in security and threats to lives and properties...
Armed soldiers and other security operatives are guarding churches and mosques in major Northern Nigerian towns to forestall Boko Haram attacks during the Easter celebrations.
In an operation being coordinated by the Joint Task Force, the well-armed soldiers responded to the security alert that the Islamic insurgents might disrupt the Easter period by bombing religious places of worship by patrolling the streets of cities like Kano and Kaduna.
On Thursday evening, a SATURDAY PUNCH correspondent, who drove round major roads in the Kano metropolis, observed that some major Islamic places of worship like the Umar ibn Khattab Mosque at Zoo Road Roundabout and the one at Fagge had soldiers guarding them.
The soldiers were positioned around the mosques and would not be easily noticed.
Major churches in Sabon Gari, Fagge Local Government Area, which is predominantly populated by Christians and non-natives, were equally secured by the JTF officers, including plain-clothe security agents.
One of them is the Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church on Sani Abacha Way (formerly Airport Road) by Ilaro Street.
Also, at about 7.45pm, two armoured personnel carriers and a Hilux pick-up van filled with well-armed soldiers patrolled Sabon Gari, ostensibly to reassure the residents, particularly the non-natives, of their safety.
SATURDAY PUNCH observed that the security operatives were also on duty on Court Road, New Road, as well as on Ibo Road, with one of the vans blaring its siren as the vehicles moved round the neighbourhood.
As early as 8am on Friday, an Air Force helicopter was hovering in the air on aerial surveillance of flashpoint areas. Our correspondents observed it from the Zoo Road, Maiduguri Road and Government House area of the metropolis.
The JTF also engaged in massive patrol in their Hilux pick-up vans.
However, the Kano State Commissioner of Police advised Christians in the state to remain calm and enjoy a blissful Easter celebration.
In order to nip any attack in the bud, security has also been beefed up around churches in Kaduna, even as Christians gear up to mark the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Sunday (tomorrow).
SATURDAY PUNCH findings show that the state police command has deployed its men to all churches ahead of the Easter celebrations.
Some of the churches that had presence of policemen included the Methodist Church on Constitution Road and St. Joseph Cathedral on Ibrahim Taiwo Road. Other churches were the Living Faith Church, once a target of bombing by Boko Haram and Holy Family Catholic Church, both in Barnawa.
A security official told SATURDAY PUNCH that the police were not taking chances since the order to enforce security came from the police high command in Abuja. “It’s the order from the acting Inspector-General of Police and there is no way such an order can be flouted. The IG gave the order to forestall possible attack by the sect members,” the official said.
Security operatives intensified their stop-and-search operation on motorists in most of the checkpoints in the metropolis and environs.
Kano residents have been jittery since the announcement by JTF officers that Boko Haram was planning a major attack during Easter. The announcement came again on Wednesday when the General Officer Commanding, 1 Mechanised Division, Nigerian Army, Kaduna, Maj.-Gen. Garba Wahab, visited the 3 Brigade, Nigerian Army.
The security agencies have consistently said that Boko Haram, which had attacked many churches and security formations in the past one year, is planning a major attack in Kano to re-launch itself into prominence since its planned negotiations with the Federal Government broke down.
As a further confirmation of likely attacks, the United States and United Kingdom governments issued travel advisories to their citizens based in Nigeria on Thursday, warning them not to travel to Northern cities during Easter.
About two weeks ago, JTF officers raided the Sabuwar Gandu hideout of the sect, where two of its members blew themselves up with explosives. Then, the Brigade-Commander, 3 Brigade, Nigerian Army, Brig.-Gen. Ilyasu Abbah had said, “These people have been planning another major operation to wreak havoc as they did the last time. But Allah does not sleep. You can see the cars they had already loaded with bombs. They were ready to move to a destination to detonate them and cause the untimely death of innocent people.”
However, the Commissioner of Police, Kano State Police Command, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, assured the residents in Kano of their safety on Thursday.
According to Idris, over 1,000 policemen have been trained in counter-terrorism and they would be deployed in the nooks and crannies of the state, especially to flashpoints during Easter.
The CP added that besides the joint effort of the security agencies, his command had made specific arrangements to overcome the security situation in the state, particularly during this Easter.
He said that all security agencies under the umbrella of the JTF were working round the clock to ensure that the event of Jan 20, 2012 did not repeat itself. Boko Haram attacks on police formations in Kano had claimed about 200 lives that day.
However, the erstwhile FCT Commissioner of Police, Michael Zuokumor, has said that lack of equipment defeated police operational strategies and was responsible for the command’s failure to prevent the bombing of the United Nations’ building in Abuja on Aug. 26, 2011.
He stated that the series of bomb attacks within the FCT were his greatest challenge while in charge of the command.
While handing over to the new FCT CP, Adenrele Shinaba, on Thursday, Zuokumour, who recently gained promotion as an Assistant Inspector-General, explained that his assumption of office on Aug. 26, 2011, was heralded by the UN house blast.
The high point of the hand -over was the presentation of commendation letters to 24 senior officers of the command.
Source: Saturday Punch.
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Simply Cheska...
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