The radical Islamic sect behind the bombings and gun attacks in the North, Boko Haram, has relocated its operational headquarters from Maiduguri, Borno State to Damaturu, the capital of Yobe State.
A reliable source in the security establishment, who pleaded anonymity, confirmed this to one of our correspondents on Tuesday. He said government had received intelligence that showed that the Islamic sect had shifted base to Yobe.
Although the source did not adduce any reason for the relocation, our correspondents report that it might be connected to the house-to-house arms search launched by the Joint Task Force in Maiduguri recently. Maiduguri is the operational base of the sect and the place where most of its attacks have taken place.
The Joint Task Force spokesman, Lt Col. Hassan Mohammed, had told journalists last week that about 5000 assorted arms and ammunition were recovered during the search. Some of the areas where the arms, especially AK47 rifles, were recovered included Baga Road, Abaganaram Housing Estate and Jajeri ward.
The source who spoke to THE PUNCH on Tuesday said the authorities had deployed troops in Damaturu to check the group. The troops were deployed shortly after the Friday explosions in the city.
The source added that three companies of troops were deployed from military units under the Division1, Kaduna.
The source said, "More troops are being sent to Yobe specifically because Boko Haram has relocated their headquarters to Damaturu. The situation there, especially since the attacks on Friday, has created so much tension in Damaturu and the neighbouring villages. That is why the JTF is sending more troops to Yobe to strengthen the military presence there."
Meanwhile, the United States of America on Tuesday insisted that the bomb alert it issued on Sunday was credible even though it did not share the information on which it was based with the Federal Government.
The US Embassy had issued a warning to Americans in Nigeria that three top hotels in the Federal Capital Territory might be bombed by the radical Islamic sect, Boko Haram. The three hotels are mainly used by the country’s business and political elite and foreigners.
The alert was based on "specific and credible information," a diplomat in the United States Embassy told the Agence France-Presse.
The unnamed diplomat was quoted by AFP as saying, "We certainly took it very seriously. Given the specificity and the credibility of the threat, we really felt we had no choice but to give our best counsel to Americans."
He said the embassy did not consult with the Federal Government before issuing the statemen. The diplomat, however, did not explain why the intelligence was not shared with the Federal Government.
The warning was issued in the wake of last Friday’s bombings in Damaturu, Yobe State, and Maiduguri, Borno State, by members of the violent Islamic sect. In an unprecedented orgy of violence, the sect members attacked police stations, churches and mosques, killing about 150 people.
It read, ""Following the recent Boko Haram, aka Nigerian Taliban, attacks in Borno and Yobe states, the US embassy has received information that Boko Haram may plan to attack several locations and hotels in Abuja, Nigeria, during the Sallah holiday. Potential targets may include the Nicon Luxury, the Sheraton Hotel, and the Transcorp Hilton Hotel."
Apparently angered by the US warning, the Federal Government on Monday expressed its dissatisfaction with the warning which it described as "non-news."
"The current threat of attack on the three hotels in Abuja is not news, and for over three months the security services have taken pro-active measures to protect the designated critical facilities and others," National security Adviser, Gen. Andrew Azazi, said in a statement.
The US diplomat also told the AFP that Boko Haram had become "increasingly sophisticated and increasingly lethal."
He said, "There’s no indication that Boko Haram has linked up operationally with any other extremists beyond Nigeria’s borders. The evolution of the group unquestionably though has made it clear that we need to step up our security procedures."
Contacted by THE PUNCH, the US Embassy said, "We have a warning on our website and that is what still subsists. We stand by that."
Boko Haram, said to have been founded in Maiduguri, Borno State, in 2002, is against Western education, and wants the Islamic legal code, Sharia, to be adopted in the country.
To achieve its objectives, the sect is currently engaged in a campaign of bombings against the Federal Government. It has attacked military barracks, police facilities in the North and the Federal Capital Territory, and drinking joints.
SOURCE: Punch Newspaper, 9 November 2011. http://punchontheweb.com
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