SSS arrests teenagers over Boko Haram threat message

Posted by admin Boko Haram, Latest Politics Thursday, November 3rd, 2011

The State Security Service said it had traced text messages about a purported plan by Boko Haram to attack the Presidential Villa and the National Assembly complex to two pupils of a secondary school in Kagara, Niger State.

The suspects, aged 17 and 18, were said to have circulated text messages in which they claimed that Boko Haram planned to attack specific targets in Abuja on October 28.

In a statement by its Assistant Director, Public Relations, Marilyn Ogar, in Abuja on Wednesday, the agency stated that the text messages were meant to cause fear among residents.

The SSS said the pupils were apprehended following its investigation, adding that they had been released to their parents.

The statement read, “The circulation of several text messages about plans by Boko Haram to attack specific targets in Abuja have become rampant, causing apprehension and panic among residents of the FCT and its environs. One of such messages alleged plans by Boko Haram to attack the Presidential Villa and National Assembly on October 28, 2011.

“However, following painstaking investigations, the service succeeded in tracing it to two persons who issued the threat text messages with the aim of creating fear and panic in the society. Both suspects aged 18 and 17 years, are boarding students in a secondary school in Kagara, Niger State.

“The two suspects claimed they were encouraged to send such panic messages by an advertorial they saw in a national newspaper of October 18 that requested members of the public to volunteer information on the activities of Boko Haram.”

The agency urged parents to pay more attention to the activities of their children both at home and at school, stressing that the provision of GSM phones to pupils should be discouraged.

He said, “Giving young people of that age access to such devices distracts them from their academics and impact negatively on their overall performance as seen in the recently released WAEC and NECO examination results.”

It added that such communication devices also exposed them to societal vices associated with social networking which are easily accessed through mobile phones.

The SSS urged Nigerians to go about their lawful duties without fear and continue to cooperate with security agencies “as we jointly combat the various security challenges confronting our nation.”

-Punch

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