Abuja Warning On Terror Attack - Fear, Tension, Julius Berger shuts Down Amidst Heightened Security

The United States Embassy issued warning on the likelihood of a terror attack in Abuja the Nation's capital, the British High Commission issued its own advisory to the staff on movement while also announcing reduced services.

Then  Canada, Australia, Germany, Bulgaria, Ireland and Denmark, among others, said they were reducing services and will be attending only to critical needs.

The Sunday Vanguard is reporting that; In another circular released, on Thursday, the US government recommended that its citizens should avoid Nigeria and advised anyone who may decide to travel to the country to keep a low profile and prepare a contingency plan for emergency situations.

Same day, it asked its Embassy non-essential staff to leave Abuja.

Also on Thursday, one of the biggest malls in Abuja shut down indefinitely, citing safety concerns.

A few hours after, Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, placed his men on alert nationwide and released emergency numbers to the public.

Meanwhile, construction giant, Julius Berger, yesterday, shut down operations in Abuja, citing security concerns.

Also, yesterday, IGP Baba rolled out ‘special operations order’ to prevent terror attacks, while as reported by the Sunday Vanguard, some suspects may have been arrested in connection with potential terror attacks in the FCT.

Apart from churches, other potential targets of terrorists in the FCT, according to the US Embassy advisory, include markets, shopping malls, hotels, bars, restaurants, football viewing centres, displacement camps, transport terminals (including train networks), government buildings, security and educational institutions (schools, further education colleges and universities, international organisations.

Special operations order’

Confirming the ‘special operations order’ rolled out, yesterday, by IGP Baba, Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Muyiwa Adejobi, said, “The IGP has rolled out an operation order, a robust document, to guide our operations and deployment in order to effectively police the FCT.

“We have put all necessary measures in place to protect critical infrastructures, worship centres, public places etc.

“FCT has been fortified with both human and material resources. So we don’t envisage any ugly incident in the FCT or any part of Nigeria”.

According to the Sunday Vanguard, the authorities at the Army Headquarters Garrison and Guards Brigade in Abuja carried out massive deployments of heavily armed troops with counter-terror equipment in all the entry and exit points of the FCT while soldiers were deployed to communities bordering states of Niger, Kaduna, Kogi and Nasarawa  from where kidnapping gangs often terrorized FCT inhabitants.

Joint Security patrols involving troops, police personnel, DSS personnel and Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps were also observed patroling major roads in Abuja including the Kubwa, Zuba-Suleija Road, the Jabi Expressway, Airport Road up to Giri junction and Zuba – Gwagwalada Road, yesterday.

Critical government infrastructures and  ministries were not left out as soldiers and policemen were seen mounting security at NNPC Towers, Central Bank of Nigeria, National War College, the National Assembly Complex while embassies witnessed more security deployments.

Before the advisories, however, a joint police, military and other security team, under the headship of the FCT Police Command, had, in several operations, stormed  uncompleted buildings, shanties and dark spots housing criminal elements,  smoked them out and arrested many criminals elements, miscreants and drug dealers.

Sources disclosed that intelligence agencies had further dispatched plain clothes intelligence operatives to the satellite towns, including Bwari, Kubwa, Suleja, Zuba, Gwagwalada, Kuje, Lugbe and other places, where terror suspects were believed to be hibernating.

One of the sources said, “The ongoing operation has yielded successes as many suspicious elements who could not explain what their mission was in the FCT, or the areas where they were found, were arrested and would be profiled”.