THE Federal Government’s anti-terror war is set to get a boost. The United States (U.S.) plans to sell high-tech aircraft to Nigeria to shore up the campaign against Boko Haram terrorists.
This is despite international concerns over alleged abuses being committed by security forces, U.S. officials told The Associated Press.
The Congress is expected to receive formal notification within weeks, setting in motion a deal with Nigeria that former President Barack Obama planned to approve in the twilight of his administration.
The arrangement will allow the Federal Government to acquire up to 12 Embraer A-29 Super Tucano aircraft with sophisticated targeting gear for nearly $600 million, one of the officials said.
The officials were not named because they were not authorised to discuss the terms of the sale publicly and requested anonymity to speak about internal diplomatic conversations.
Though President Donald Trump has made clear his intention to approve the sale of the aircraft, the National Security Council is still working out the modalities.
Military sales to other countries are also expected to be approved but are caught up in an ongoing White House review. Nigeria has been trying to buy the aircraft since 2015.
The Air Force has been accused of bombing civilian targets at least three times in recent years. In the worst incident, a fighter jet on January 17 repeatedly bombed a camp at Rann, Borno State, on Nigeria’s border with Cameroon, where civilians had fled from Boko Haram. Between 100 and 236 civilians and aid workers were killed, according to official and community leaders’ counts.
That bombing occurred on the same day the Obama administration intended to officially notify Congress the sale would go forward. Instead, it was abruptly put on hold, according to an individual who worked on the issue during Obama’s presidency. Days later, Trump was inaugurated.
Republican Senator Bob Corker from Tennessee, who is the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, said last week that he supported the A-29 deal to Nigeria as well as the sale of U.S.-made fighter jets to Bahrain that had been stripped of human rights caveats imposed by the Obama administration.
Under Obama, the U.S. said Bahrain failed to make promised political and human rights reforms after its Sunni-ruled government crushed Arab Spring protests five years ago.
“We need to deal with human rights issues, but not on weapons sales,” Corker said.
The A-29 sale would improve the U.S. relationship with Nigeria, Africa’s largest consumer market (with of 170 million people), the continent’s biggest economy and its second-largest oil producer.
Nigeria also is strategically located on the edge of the Sahel, the largely lawless semi-desert region bridging north and sub-Saharan Africa, where experts warn Islamic extremists such as the Nigeria-based Boko Haram may expand their reach.
The aircraft deal also would satisfy Trump’s priorities to support nations fighting Islamic uprisings, boost U.S. manufacturing and create high-wage jobs at home. The A-29 aircraft, which allow pilots to pinpoint targets at night, are assembled in Jacksonville, Fla.
“It’s hard to argue that any country in Africa is more important than Nigeria for the geopolitical and other strategic interests of the U.S.,” said J. Peter Pham, vice president of the Atlantic Council in Washington and head of its Africa Center.
Once Congress is officially notified of the sale, lawmakers who want to derail it have 30 days to pass veto-proof legislation. That’s a high hurdle given Corker’s support. Sen. John McCain (Republican-Arizona.), chairman of the Armed Services Committee, also said he backs the sale.
“We’ve really got to try to do what we can to contain them,” McCain said of Boko Haram.
In Trump’s first phone call with Buhari in February, he “assured the Nigerian President of U.S. readiness to cut a new deal in helping Nigeria in terms of military weapons to combat terrorism,” according to Buhari’s office.
A February 15 White House statement that provided a summary of the call said “President Trump expressed support for the sale of aircraft from the United States to support Nigeria’s fight against Boko Haram.”
Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, said in mid-February that he was “leery” of the sale because of the Nigerian military’s impunity. Cardin said this week he’s not trying to block the deal.
“Ultimately we hope that the sale goes forward,” he said. “But there is progress that needs to be made in protecting the civilian population.”
Tag: Counter-terrorism
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Counter-terrorism: U.S. to sell fighter planes to Nigeria
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How we will respond to airport terrorism- NAF
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) on Wednesday conducted a counter-terrorism simulation exercise involving the insertion and extraction of Special Forces operating in conjunction with other organic security agencies and organisations to retake the airport from terrorists and ensure normalcy of operations.
The exercise which was code-named “Steel Dome “ which means Fortified Arena was conducted by the men of the Air Force Regiment- a special force operations team made up of commandos and other specially trained officers deployed for counter terrorism operations.
The Air Force Regiment was founded after the breach of the Air Force base in Maiduguri, Borno state on December 2, 2013 by Boko Haram insurgents. Since then, the Regiment has deployed Special Forces personnel throughout the country.
The Airport counter terrorism simulation according to Air Force Director of Public Information, Group Captain Ayodele Famuyiwa, is to answer the question: “When you have a terrorist situation in your airport, what do you do?” Steel Dome was to show what the NAF will do.
The exercise began with a briefing by Air Commodore Olusesan Idowu, the Director, Regiment Headquarters of the NAF in a small room at the northern corner of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja.
The briefing highlighted the objectives of the exercise which include: Practice individual/group skills in the planning, coordination and execution of counter –terrorist operations; understand the requirements and challenges involved in the coordination and conduct counter terrorist operations in concert with other security agencies; derive lessons that will guide Directorate of Regiment in drawing up a doctrine and planning guide for the conduct of airport counter- terrorist operations and reaffirm the NAF commitment to support civil authority in times of national emergencies.
But the planning of the response to terrorism belongs to the Commander Quick Response Force Minna, Air Commodore Mishelia who in a business-like manner informed the gathering that a group of terrorists have taken some passengers hostage at the departure lounge of the airport.
The Hostages and the terrorists
About 40 members of the Special Forces were involved in the rescue operations of the passengers. The departure terminal was cordoned off and troops positioned strategically before the entrance of the terminal, every angle leading to the terminal was covered by different personnel of the Special Force.
Inside the terminal, troops were positioned to cover every available exit space, everywhere one turns, there is a soldier armed, fierce and ready. Behind the counters, air conditioners and desks, mean looking soldiers were ready with their guns. But airport activities went unabated, with some passengers expressing shock at the presence of the troops.
Intermittently, the announcer would inform that the NAF was conducting a counter terrorism response simulation and all passengers were to continue their business.
But such admonition was hardly heeded.
At 9:30 am, a Super Puma helicopter of the NAF usually deployed for insertion and extraction of troops in emergency situation appeared in the sky above the airport terminal.
Its arrival was heralded by a loud noise; troops on the ground gave the aircraft covering fire as the Special Forces began to descend using a rope into the airport.
In all, eight soldiers descended directly into the terminal space. It will be their duty to surprise the terrorists who are holding the passengers hostage in the departure area.
Terrorists holding passengers hostage The rescue
At the departure ticketing area, passengers huddled together in awe of the spectacular scenario playing out. There was a soldier at every turn and corner. Air Force evaluators wearing pink jackets carefully followed the process, checking every detail and making notes in big logbooks. Upstairs at the departure lounge, a serious, almost real time situation was playing out.
Six terrorists all armed with rifles, covering their faces with masks have detained 12 male passengers. The hostages were made to lie down on the floor in the middle of the lounge while the terrorists torture them. Slaps, kicks and punches were rained on the captives, bags were kicked in fury and the terrorists ensured the captives were reduced to fear.
“Do you want to fight?” a terrorist asked one terrified passenger. Instead of a response, the man simply said he was tired and would never visit this country again. Another hostage lamented his ill-fated travel with a vow never to return if he could just get out alive. A terrorist gave him a slap, he fell to the floor and a kick in the groin sent him face flat. He did not move for a long time. None of the actors in this terrible drama smiled, none of them betrayed any emotion.
It was not clear what the terrorists were waiting for, it was not certain if a line of communication had been established with a government negotiator, it was also not clear if the terrorists had made any demands.
What happened next was a scene out of an action packed movie. A shot rang out suddenly followed by five others in quick succession.
Four soldiers burst into the lounge; their forceful entry in a blaze of unending bullets sent the terrorists scampering for cover. A shot hit a terrorist; he fell, his rifle hitting the ground first.
“Alpha 1 to Alpha 2, evacuate terrorists and hostages over,” one could hear over the radio. The hostages were on their faces, there was a lot of scream and shouts of “I don’t want to die” as the Special Forces tried to reassure them.
The communication between the Special Forces was effective but the terrorists would not go down easily. Shots were heard, Alpha one called for back-up. Some of the Special Forces who were earlier inserted through the chopper came in from the staircase, a search was made and one terrorist was found, crouching behind a chair, he was disarmed and arrested. In all four of the terrorists were arrested while two died.
One soldier was also wounded, his colleagues gathered around to help him. The lounge was evacuated. The whole operation had taken five minutes, six seconds before the Police anti-bomb squad arrived to check if there were any bombs left by the terrorists.
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Rethinking counter-terrorism strategy
Terrorism, as popular as the concept may be, has no definite definition. But for the purpose of this piece, the concept, which is arguably the most popular word in 21st century, will be analysed and defined based on African Union’s classification, which states: “Terrorism is any act, which is a violation of the criminal laws of a state party and may endanger lives, physical integrity or freedom of, or cause injury or death to, any person, any number of group of persons or causes or may cause damage to public or private property, natural resources, environmental or cultural heritage.”
According to the African Union, terrorism is calculated to intimidate, put in fear, coerce or induce any government, body, institution, the general public or any segment thereof, to abstain from doing any act, or to adopt or abandon a particular stand point, or to act according to certain principles. It can also disrupt any public service, the delivery of any essential service to the public or to create a public emergency or a general insurrection in a state.
It is in line with the above definition, which derives its aims from the convention of preventing and combating terrorism, that this writer intends to examine the military response to counter-terrorism without recourse to the ambiguity surrounding the definition.
For the purpose of clarity, this writer is assessing the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government’s approach to combat insurgency in the country.
It should be recalled that the president, in his inaugural speech, directed that the Ministry of Defence headquarters be relocated to the Northeast – the epicentre of Boko Haram insurgency. No doubt, security is arguably the most critical factor in the modern society. Many individuals and governments are investing massively in security to protect lives and property. A huge chunk of the state budget is usually set aside to cater for it.
The United States (U.S.), for instance, yearly sets aside huge funds to fight religious radicalism and terrorism, which threaten its interests around the world. In today’s world, it is normal for any country’s government to spend trillions to bolster internal and external security.
However, despite the huge security investment, terrorism still ravages various countries around the world. The crime rate has been on the rise. It is worrisome and alarming in countries, which lack sophistication to combat terror.
Boko Haram, a deadly terrorist organisation, which destests western education, has killed thousands of people and destroyed properties worth billions in its quest to establish a caliphate.
Though the relocation of the Defence Headquarters has been successful in a way, but the series of attacks on soft targets by the dreaded group shows that the military response is not enough. The president must look beyond the military solution in addressing this carnage at this point in time.
Since one of the factors responsible for the rise of terrorism in Nigeria was is failure of governance, the most important thing to be done is to have a development plan and programmes that will have direct and lasting positive impacts on the people.
The development of the region may be difficult considering the ongoing hostility and insecurity but the president can adopt the securitisation of development.
The massacre in Dalori, Internally-Displaced Person (IDP) camps and a host of other soft targets is a confirmation that the military response is not always the answer. This is because the Armed Forces seems to lack the necessary intelligence required in fighting such unconventional war. The local people must be partners, because they seem to have more credible information to share with the security forces.
But many people are either afraid of being tagged insurgents, which is why some members of the local communities showed sympathy to the cause of Boko Haram.
It is important for the President to engage the populace and the community heads in his fight against terrorism. With about nine months of military operation without accurate information on the location of the Chibok girls, nor ability to rescue them, it is obvious that the Federal Government must tackle this carnage beyond the military intervention.
It is time to tackle the insurgency with intelligence gathering and partnership with local communities so that the terrorists would not take undue advantage of the economic situation to lure and recruit more youths for their atrocious war.
- Sheyi is a Master’s student of Conflict, Development and Security, University of Leeds, UK
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Rethinking counter-terrorism strategy
Terrorism, as popular as the concept may be, has no definite definition. But for the purpose of this piece, the concept, which is arguably the most popular word in 21st century, will be analysed and defined based on African Union’s classification, which states that: “Terrorism is any act, which is a violation of the criminal laws of a state party and may endanger lives, physical integrity or freedom of, or cause injury or death to, any person, any number of group of persons or causes or may cause damage to public or private property, natural resources, environmental or cultural heritage.”
According to the African Union, terrorism is calculated to intimidate, put in fear, coerce or induce any government, body, institution, the general public or any segment thereof, to abstain from doing any act, or to adopt or abandon a particular stand point, or to act according to certain principles. It can also disrupt any public service, the delivery of any essential service to the public or to create a public emergency or create a general insurrection in a state.
It is in line with the aforementioned definition, which derives its aims from the convention of preventing and combating terrorism, that this writer intends to examine the military response to counter-terrorism without recourse to the ambiguity surrounding the definition.
For the purpose of clarity, this writer is assessing the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government’s approach to combat insurgency in the country.
It should be recalled that the president, in his inaugural speech, directed that the Ministry of Defence headquarters be relocated to the Northeast – the epicentre of Boko Haram insurgency. No doubt, security is arguably the most critical factor in the modern society. Many individuals and governments are investing massively in security to protect lives and property. A huge chunk of the state budget is usually set aside to cater for it.
The United States (U.S.), for instance, yearly sets aside huge funds to fight religious radicalism and terrorism, which threaten its interests around the world. In today’s world, it is normal for any country’s government to spend trillions to bolster internal and external security.
However, despite the huge security investment, terrorism still ravages various countries around the world. The crime rate has been on the rise. It is worrisome and alarming in countries, which lack sophistication to combat terror.
Boko Haram, a deadly terrorist organisation, which destests western education, has killed thousands of people and destroyed properties worth billions in its quest to establish a caliphate.
Though the relocation of the Defence Headquarters has been successful in a way, but the series of attacks on soft targets by the dreaded group shows that the military response is not enough. The president must look beyond the military solution in addressing this carnage at this point in time.
Since one of the factors responsible for the rise of terrorism in Nigeria was is failure of governance, the most important thing to be done is to have a development plan and programmes that will have direct and lasting positive impacts on the people.
The development of the region may be difficult considering the ongoing hostility and insecurity but the president can adopt the securitisation of development.
The massacre in Dalori, Internally-Displaced Person (IDP) camps and a host of other soft targets is a confirmation that the military response is not always the answer. This is because the Armed Forces seems to lack the necessary intelligence required in fighting such unconventional war. The local people must be partners, because they seem to have more credible information to share with the security forces.
But many people are either afraid of being tagged insurgents, which is why some members of the local communities showed sympathy to the cause of Boko Haram.
It is important for the President to engage the populace and the community heads in his fight against terrorism. With about nine months of military operation without accurate information on the location of the Chibok girls, nor ability to rescue them, it is obvious that the Federal Government must tackle this carnage beyond the military intervention.
It is time to tackle the insurgency with intelligence gathering and partnership with local communities so that the terrorists would not take undue advantage of the economic situation to lure and recruit more youths for their atrocious war.
- Sheyi is a Master’s student of Conflict, Development and Security, University of Leeds, UK
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NSCDC trains 10,000 personnel on counter terrorism – CG
The Commandant General, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Mr. Abdullahi Gana, said more than 10,000 personnel have been trained on counter terrorism with the aim of tackling insurgency in the country.
This is contained in a statement by Emmanuel Okeh, Public Relations Officer of the NSCDC, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
The statement said the personnel were trained on counter terrorism in Israel, Pakistan, Italy and also with the Nigerian Army School of counter terrorism and insurgency.
It is said that Gana made this assertion at the reception of the courtesy visit by the United Nations counter terrorism committee led by Mr. Weixiong Chen at NSCDC, headquarters, Abuja.
According to the statement, the CG of NSCDC enumerated the corps mandate, stressing the need for support and training in the area of protection of critical infrastructures and other national assets in the country.
They are in most cases readily available targets for both terrorists and vandals.
He said presently, over 400 personnel are protecting the facilities of multinational oil companies in Nigeria, such as Shell, Agip, and Mobil among others.
According to the statement, the leader of the UN delegate, Mr. Weixiong Chen, said his team came to assist in training and to proffer solutions against insurgency.
Chen pointed out the following has to be in place for the fight against terrorism to be completed.
“The rule of the law must be present, therefore the issue of coordination and training among the various law enforcement agencies is paramount.
“They must have basic training on close protection; to enable the security operatives protect themselves and the populace in general.
“That Nigeria cannot fight terrorism in isolation, hence there must be involvement of other nations of the world, to assist financially, trainings and providing equipment based on the need for the particular nation“.
Chen assured the Corps of UN-CTED support in training the personnel and to also give logistic support and advocated the tackling of terrorism through a holistic approach involving the three tiers of government.
Gana appealed to the UN delegate that the personnel still need more exposure on technological abilities to improve greatly in the fight against terrorism.
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Iran and Israel: Of terrorism and counter-terrorism
Reader, Hardball comes to breakfast this morning with some conceptual dissonance. Who is a terrorist and who is a counter-terrorist? Is a counter-terrorist also a terrorist, since he operates the Mosaic law of an eye for an eye? Or is (s)he a better moral monster(?) simply because (s)he replies in kind — as in trouble sleep yanga go wake am, Fela-speak?
Another apologia: Iran, Israel and allied global hot spots speak of journalism’s Afghanistanism, particularly when Nigeria has more than its fair share of terror troubles. Why go shooting in Iran, Israel, when Boko Haram, in our backyard here, is quite a handful?
Well, fulsome apologies! But this Afghanistanism portends Armageddon for today’s close-wired globalised world where a little, even playful fireworks could cause massive explosions elsewhere, if not in real combat then in great human misery. If you still doubt, witness the current Europe refugee crisis. With Ghadaffi’s Libya state destroyed, and Syria under siege and the Islamic State (IS) in devil-may-care mass murder, Europe suddenly finds itself victim of a roaring ocean of refugees, which ferocious wave it cannot roll back.
With the latest rhetoric from Teheran and Tel Aviv, the world has something to fear: the Armageddon to come, from terrorism and counter-terrorism.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, spiritual leader of Iran’s 21st century theocracy, left very little to speculations, dismissing Israel as a Zionist (read terrorist) state, which Iran could (“with the grace of God”) erase, 25 years from now. Flush with anti-Israel Teheran loathing, the Ayatollah concluded Zionism was terrorism the globe could well do without.
But a chilling counter-rhetoric has come from Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, proud scion of Moses, unfazed Zionist, unrepentant Israeli nationalism hawk: Iran just bit the bullet, for the Ayatollah to dream such dangerous dreams, of liquidating Israel. Mr. Netanyahu grabbed that opportunity to contend that pariah Iran got recklessly voluble, because of the US-led global rapprochement over Iran’s nuclear programmes — a programme which, left to Mr. Netanyahu and his hawkish Likud Party, should have been crushed; just to make a vicious scapegoat to other rogue states dreaming such future nuclear nightmare!
Well, what qualifies Israel to have nukes but disqualifies Iran? Perhaps the answer is in Global Real-Politik 101!
Still, these two ancient races are not new to imperialism and power play. In antiquity, Persia (modern day Iran) backed Sparta against Athens in the Peloponnesian War (431-404 BC), just to put Athens’ nose out of joint; and gain a foothold in intra-Greece geo-politics. If David remains the eternal hero of Israel, it is simply because the war-like modern Israelis have not forgotten how King David gave everyone else a bloody nose in ancient Palestine, en route to securing the ancient Kingdom of Israel before the Diaspora.
Nevertheless, both Khamenei and Netanyahu crassly betray the grim lessons of history — a grave irony indeed, for both historic races. An Ayatollah, Ruholla Khomeini (1902-1989), Iran’s first supreme leader, played God by decreeing the death of writer Salman Rushdie, placing on his head a fatwa, for the temerity of authoring Satanic Verses, which the Iran mullahs decreed ridiculed Islam. But where is Khomeini today? Dead as dodo, while Rushdie, whose death his fatwa proclaimed, appears in no rush to die.
Netanyahu, by threatening to match Khamenei, quarters-for-quarters (hardly a crime, when threatened with mass elimination), forgets threats and sabre-rattling don’t solve problems. They worsen them. Israel itself, and its modern Palestine homeland, are living and biting examples.
That is why the reasonable globe must step in before Iran and Israel level the world in their star wars of terrorism and counter-terrorism.
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Counter-terrorism: Nigeria ratifies 18 UN treaties, says AGF
Nigeria has ratified 18 treaties aimed at counter-terrorism, Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke has said.
He said although confronting threat of terrorism is difficult in developing countries, Nigeria will continue to do its best.
Adoke spoke at the weekend in a paper at the UN/CTITF Capacity Building Workshop, Organised by the Office of the National Security Adviser in Collaboration with UN Counter Terrorism Implementation Task Force Office in Abuja.
He said: “As a responsible member of the international community, Nigeria is actively involved with concerted global efforts to address the threat of terrorism. “Consequently, Nigeria has ratified a good number of the 18 United Nations sectoral treaties on counter-terrorism and has either enacted or in the process of enacting appropriate implementing legislations to criminalise these offences in Nigeria.
“Our resolve to mainstream the rule of law in our counter terrorism regime is borne out of the realization that any legislation that does not provide adequate safeguards for its implementation is bound to evoke resentment from the people and will be susceptible to abuse by its operators.
“ It must however be appreciated that confronting the threat of terrorism is difficult particularly for developing countries characterized by inadequate laws that criminalise terrorist acts and weak institutions to detect, prevent and punish these crimes. “
He said the nation will pursue its counter-terrorism efforts within the rule of law.
He added:”Nigeria’s counter terrorism strategies are to confront all those threatening the nation’s collective peace and security and bring the perpetrators to Justice.
“The Office of the Attorney General of the Federation is particularly conscious of the need to fight terrorism within the confines of the law and due process especially in line with the constitutional guaranties and procedures relating to fair hearing provided by sections 33, 34, 35, and 36 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, (CFRN) 1999.
“Finally, legislation itself is not enough; we need to inculcate a sense of commitment to the ideas of the legal regime in our security and law enforcement personnel that enforce these measures. They must appreciate the relationship between human rights and national security and mainstream it in all their operations.”
He said Nigeria had drawn inspiration and guidance from the UN Counter Terrorism Strategy and the work of the UNCTITF particularly its prescription to the effect that there must be a “justice system that guarantees due process rights regardless of the offence.”
Adoke said: “To ensure that our counter-terrorism efforts are founded on the rule of law, the Terrorism Prevention Act of 2011 was enacted. This was further reviewed and the Terrorism Prohibition Act was passed in 2013 to further strengthen the regime.
“ One important thread that runs through the legislation, which I consider relevant to your workshop, is the need to provide adequate safeguards for the protection of human rights in the global war against terror.
“ It is my expectation the discussions on the use of force within human rights constraints and detention regimes will bring to the fore, the relevant provisions of our counter terrorism regime which are in substantial compliance with global standards.”
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Lagos police launch counter-terrorism campaign
The police in Lagos have launched a counter–terrorism campaign.
Police spokesperson Ngozi Braide, a deputy superintendent (DSP) at a news conference yesterday, urged citizens to be vigilant.
She said: “You must strive to know not only the person living in your house but in the surrounding environment. Find out their means of livelihood. Observe what your neighbour normally brings home at night and what he normally leaves with in the morning.
‘’Landlords should conduct background checks on all their prospective tenant. They should meet with their tenants from time to time. Community leaders, working in conjunction with the local police, are encouraged to form neighbourhood associations to appraise the security situation in their areas. Do not keep any object that will aid criminals to have easy access to your premises, like ladder beside the wall. Owners of uncompleted buildings must clear them of undesirable persons or request the assistance of security agencies to do so where necessary.
“Park owners, garage operators and operators of shopping malls must ensure that they thoroughly scan, search and take stock of all vehicles parked within and around the premises of such public places.
“Hotels and hospitality industries should always screen their guests and lodgers properly and ensure that they obtain accurate details of all guests. Corporate citizens high0end commercial and residential establishments, institutions mega churches/ mosques and individuals with valuable assets, including hotel an park owners are encouraged to install Closes Circuit Television (CCTV) and other surveillance systems strategically on their promises to help in monitoring and capturing criminal activities.
“Draw the attention of the police or other security agencies to vehicles parked or abandoned by unknown persons. Empty containers, gas cylinders, dustbins and other receptacles not in use must be properly disposed of or kept away from the reach of unauthorised persons.
“Do not allow unknown persons to drop or abandon bags, boxes, fruit barrows or trolleys, articles of trade, cartons or any wrapped or sealed containers around your premises. Legitimate sellers of chemicals such as fertilizer, ammonium products, acid, etc should be wary of persons they sell such products to. All suspicious orders should be immediately reported to the security agencies.
“Always check your surroundings for suspicious, unexplained and dangerous objects and immediately inform the police where any such object is found. Never accept to take possession of or watch over any bag or object kept by unknown person or persons. Be vigilant at public places as objects such as bombs can be kept by unscrupulous person in unattended bags, packages, containers, cars. In the unforeseen circumstances of a bomb blast, stay away from the blast scene.
“Avoid the temptation of rushing to the scene (except your work with any of the Security or Emergency Management Agencies). Remember, terrorist often detonate secondary explosives in order to harm innocent by standers and on-lookers. Always report suspicious person or movement with your neighbourhood to the police or other security agencies through available means of communication”.
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Nigeria, UK sign MoU on counter-terrorism, maritime security
Nigeria and United Kingdom have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on bilateral military cooperation to tackle terrorism and maritime insecurity in the country.
The Minister of State for Defence, Dr. Olusola Obada and her British Counterpart, Hon. Andrew Robathan, signed the pact on behalf of their countries.
Obada said the MoU was necessary in view of increased crude oil theft from the Niger Delta which is taken abroad for marketing and refining as well as pipeline vandalism which resulted in environmental degradation.
“We are here to sign an MoU being the third of such agreements. This particular one is in the area of counter-terrorism and maritime security.
“We in Nigeria need all the support we can get to combat oil bunkering, illegal refineries and vandalism of pipelines as we have a lot of refineries in many parts of the Niger Delta.
“And when they refine this crude they throw away about 30 per cent. So, you can imagine the amount of degradation that we have in the environment.
“We need all hands on deck to combat this scourge and also tackle maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea. People come to our country to steal our crude oil and refine them abroad,” Obada said.
The Western Europe Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria reports that the MoU is to ensure information and experience sharing on defence as well as security matters which are of mutual interest to both nations.
It also includes specialised military training for personnel, and partnership in addressing regional and international security challenges.
NAN reports that the MoU is valid for five years with an automatic extension for another five years.