Bomb blast: N’Assembly rolls out new security measures

Posted by admin Boko Haram, Legislature, Senate Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011

In order not to be caught unawares the second time, government at different levels and sensitive agencies of the Federal Government have mapped out new strategies aimed at curbing the Boko Haram insurgence.

The security alert, which was sequel to last week’s bombing of the Force Headquarter, Abuja, was a fallout of a meeting between the management of the National Assembly and heads of security agencies in the country. It saw the National Assembly complex roll out stringent measures to preserve and protect the complex.

In the same vein, the Lagos State Government had ordered the evacuation of all abandoned vehicles that littered the city even as Nigerian Army modified its training to tackle Boko Haram.

Meanwhile, another measure was the placement of all security staff on red alert and the re-awakening of the National Assembly Joint Task Force on hawking and illegal entry into the complex.

The Joint Task Force, headed by a police officer had resumed regular patrol of the complex, while lawmakers were to wear their names and security tags to access the complex and all legislative aides, journalists, bank operators, food vendors and staff of the National Assembly had been mandated to do same.
As part of the arrange ment, no car is allowed to park at the peoples arcade. Instead, a new car park had been created for lawmakers behind the new building, while cars were directed to park on the sides of the new wing of the two chambers.

In a brief chat, the National Assembly Seargent at Arms, Colonel Emeka Okere (retd), said the management had to be alive to its responsibilities of responding to the situation at hand, after the bomb explosion at the Force Headquarters.
“They use fertilizers and other unconventional objects to prepare the bombs and we have to make sure that all the buildings here are 300 meters away from all car parks with the heavy presence of our men.”
On his part, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen O. A. Ihejirika stated that the army had modified its training to stem the rate of bombings across the country by some groups.

Ihejirika, who disclosed this to newsmen during a tour of units under the 13 Brigade Command in Calabar, said: “I knew from the beginning that the problems confronting Nigeria are more of internal security problems instead of external aggression from neighbouring countries and this is the focus of our training and preparations.
The Chief of Army Staff, who would not disclose the nature of training, however, said there were new training packages to ensure they were fully implemented.

Lagos has commenced the evacuation of all abandoned vehicles within the premises of the Lagos State Government secretariat.
Police sources told Daily Sun that the directive was sequel to the increasing spate of the bomb explosions in some parts of the country, mostly planted in and under abandoned vehicles.

The evacuation witnessed by our correspondent started at 10am in the secretariat and was led by operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), a security unit of the Lagos State Government.
Reacting to the ugly development, rights activist, Shehu Sani accused the Federal Government of creating Boko Haram by adopting the policy of pleasing every group that took up arms against the government and the people . According to him, it would only be fair if the kind of treatment given to the militants in the Niger Delta was extended to the Boko Haram group, saying what is good for the goose is also good for the gander.

Sani, in an interview in Minna, Niger State yesterday said the Federal Government had made militancy and terrorism attractive, considering the large sum of money government had budgeted for the ex-militants of the Niger Delta.
“Definitely you cannot adopt carrot approach for one group and adopt the stick approach for the other.
“Another fundamental mistake made by government was the killing of the leader of the Boko Haram group. When you kill the leader of such group, they will go under ground and become a guerrilla group. By that time, you have lost all the chances of making peace with them,” Sani pointed out.

Also speaking, the Chairman and spiritual father of Cherubim and Seraphim Movement Church worldwide (Ayo Ni O), Most Reverend Samuel Abidoye described the recent bombing of the Force Headquarters as a security threat to the nation and a wrong signal that all was not well with the country.

He said it is not only embarrassing but saddening to hear that what could be described as the “Engine Room” of security of the nation could be so easily penetrated and bombed with such extent of damages recorded.
In another development, Christian Welfare Initiative (CWI), has commiserated with President Goodluck Jonathan over blasts at the Louis Edet House police headquarters, Abuja last Thursday. The attack claimed two lives where 35 vehicles were completely burnt.

Addressing journalists in Lagos yesterday, to commemorate their first year anniversary, the president of the group, Archbishop Magnus Adeyemi Atilade, described the attack as an affront not only to the Federal Government but the entire citizenry.

-Sunwp_posts