Special Forces Soldiers, Policemen, DSS Operatives Storm Abuja, Arrest Scores Of Suspects

The Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government has increased security in the Federal Capital Territory after the terror alerts issued by the United States and the United Kingdom.

The US Embassy had in a statement last Sunday announced that it would offer reduced services until further notice and urged American citizens to avoid non-essential movements.

The statement added that possible targets by the terrorists may include government buildings, places of worship, schools, markets, shopping malls, hotels, bars, restaurants, athletic gatherings, transport terminals, law enforcement facilities, and international organizations.

Also, in an advisory issued on the same Sunday by its Embassy in Abuja, the United Kingdom advised its citizens in Nigeria to stay alert and consider their movements carefully.

The British government also urged its citizens to follow the local news and the advice of security authorities in order not to be victims of a terrorist attack.

On its part, the Australian government on Wednesday advised its citizens to reconsider the need to travel to Nigeria.

The country listed Abuja and surrounding areas as places of possible high threats of terrorist attack and kidnapping, adding that those who have to travel to Nigeria are at risk of terrorist attacks, kidnappings violent civil unrest, and crime.

It said: “The potential for terrorism, kidnapping, crime, and civil unrest remains high throughout Nigeria. If, despite our advice, you undertake travel within Nigeria, research routes and get professional security advice and support before departing.”

Denmark, Bulgaria, Germany, Ireland and Canadian authorities also issued separate security alerts, asking their citizens in the country to stay alert and refrain from visiting and doing certain things.

Strategic Areas And Flash Points

According to Saturday PUNCH, the federal government has massively deployed Special Forces and the elite Presidential Guards Brigade in the Abuja metropolis to prevent possible terrorist attacks.

Armed security personnel, including policemen, were seen patrolling the city center, the Kubwa Expressway, Jabi, the NNPC Towers, and War College, both in the Central Business District, around the Central Bank of Nigeria headquarters, and other strategic areas.

It was gathered that authorities on Friday dispatched intelligence officers to the satellite towns, including Bwari, Kubwa, Suleja, Lugbe, and other places where terror suspects were believed to be hibernating.

Reliable security sources confirmed that scores of suspects had been arrested for profiling in what has been described as a major counterintelligence operation.

One of the sources stated, “The ongoing operation has successfully netted many suspects who will be profiled. Beyond this, the Special Forces and Guards Brigade have been activated to strengthen the security cordon around the FCT. I’m sure you have seen their show of force patrol around the city and on the highways. Nothing is being spared to keep the capital city safe and secure.”

Intensified Routine Patrol

On the heavy deployment of security operatives, the spokesperson for the FCT Police Command, DSP Josephine Adeh, noted that the patrol was intensified for visibility and confidence-building and not as a panic response.

She stated, “This isn’t the first time our men are patrolling the city. We all know what informed this question. However, I would like to reiterate the standpoint of the police as pronounced by the Inspector General Usman Baba in a publication released by the Force PRO, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, that the FCT is safe.

“This is an intensified routine patrol for visibility policing and confidence building, and should not be mistaken for a panic response at all.”