Determined to punish Monday’s attack on a Kaduna-bound train, which killed eight passengers and left scores unaccounted for, the military, yesterday, launched a counter-offensive against terrorists suspected of links with the bombing incident, killing 34 of them through air strikes.
The attack created deep fears in citizens and doubt about the ability of the military to defend the country’s democracy and territorial integrity.
In their reaction to the incident, members of the House of Representatives, yesterday, expressed serious worry over the worsening insecurity in the country and lamented that nowhere was safe any longer. The lawmakers demanded the sack of the National Security Adviser, Major General Babagana Monguno (rtd). They accused the security agencies of profiting from the increasing insecurity in the country.
Similarly, House Majority Leader, Hon. Alhassan Ado-Doguwa, accused the government of failing to live up to expectations. Ado-Doguwa suggested that citizens should be allowed to bear arms in self-defence.
But the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), yesterday, decried some of the public words of the Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, and Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi. The main opposition party said such words tended to confirm its position that the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration knew the whereabouts as well as plans of the terrorists, and deliberately refused to act.
The air interdiction came as troops of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) killed scores of insurgents during a clash in the Lake Chad area.
Nigerian Air Force sought collaboration with the Office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation in the area of mapping and geo-spatial deliveries, to aid the fight against terrorism.
A military update issued in Abuja, on Thursday, said 34 terrorists were decimated in waves of air strikes.
The update said, “In receiving credible information that at about 2.pm on 30 March 2022, about 70 terrorists on 40 motorcycles and some on foot were sighted moving towards the Akilibu-Sarkin Pawa Road, near Mangoro Village, the Air Component of Operation Thunder Strike swiftly scrambled an aircraft to intercept and neutralise the terrorists.
“As the aircraft approached the scene, several terrorist were seen running in disarray on sighting the aircraft, abandoning their motorcycles to take cover within nearby bushes.
“The terrorists were subsequently engaged in different waves with rockets while those fleeing were mopped up with canons decisively. Feedback from local sources around Mangoro Village, disclosed that 17 motorcycles including 34 dead bodies as well as 14 locally fabricated guns belonging to the terrorist were recovered.”
A source said some of the terrorists fled with multiple gunshot wounds during the encounter, but it was still unclear what roles they played in the attack that killed eight passengers onboard the Kaduna-bound train, with many injured and undetermined number abducted.
Meanwhile, an emergency intelligence meeting coordinated by the Defence Intelligence Agency after the train attack identified three locations as “destinations” of bandits after most attacks within the axis.
The meeting, according to PRNigeria, also considered immediate deployment of integrated security surveillance and monitoring solutions for the rail line.
The locations identified by the intelligence service as bandit dens are in Rijana, Katari and Kasarami.
The places have proximity to the Kaduna-Abuja highway and rail lines.
“These locations are abodes to kidnappers, armed bandits, drug addicts, gun runners, prostitutes and fleeing Boko Haram terrorists,” a senior intelligence source revealed.
The officer further disclosed that a “massive joint security operation” would commence in the areas, simultaneously with the support of recently acquired drones.
The source added, “Some of the services have recently acquired sophisticated Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, the drones to improve surveillance and ensure precisions on attacks on targets.
“We anticipate collateral damages in the initial stages of the operation, even though we will ensure maximum protection of innocent citizens.
“Proper identification exercises of people in the areas would be conducted.”
The meeting of the intelligence operatives was on the heels of a security parley between President Muhammadu Buhari and the service chiefs.
Buhari had given the service chiefs the marching order to find lasting solutions to the incessant attacks on motorists and train passengers by bandits and kidnappers.
Prior to their meeting with Buhari, the duo of Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, and Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Faruq Yahaya, undertook an assessment visit to the scene of the attack.
In another development, troops of the MNJTF, Operation Hadin Kai, eliminated scores of fighters of terror groups, Boko Haram and the Islamic States West Africa Province (ISWAP), in the on-going clearance operations around Lake Chad region.
Security sources said troops successfully cleared Cemente, Bagadaza, Zanari and Wulgo in Gamborun Ngala Local Government Area of Borno State.
A source said, “There were two encounters with the Boko Haram/ISWAP insurgents at Zanari and also at the harbour area. Troops were decisive in both attacks.”
It was gathered that the troops also rescued 21 women, 11 male children and nine female children in the operations, which commenced on March 28, 2022.
Some of the items recovered in the aftermath of the encounter included two gun trucks, 22 bicycles, 18 motorcycles (destroyed in situ), two Rockets Propelled Grenade (RPG) tubes, three Rockets Propelled Grenade Bombs, one NBST Gun, two General Purpose Machine Guns (GPMGs), three GPMG belts, 600 rounds of 7.62 MM NATO, and one FN Rifle magazine, among others.
The Nigerian Air Force sought collaboration with the Office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation in the area of mapping and geo-spatial delivery.
Speaking during a courtesy visit to the Surveyor General of the Federation (OSGoF), Surv. Abudulganiyu Adeyemi Adebomehin, the Chief of Intelligence of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Abubakar Liman, said the purpose of his visit was to seek areas of further collaboration with OSGoF, because of its expertise, skills and data required to aid NAF in its operations.
He solicited synergy with relevant authorities especially, in the war against insecurity, stating that, “security is everyone’s business. War is a national assignment,” which required the support of every citizen.
The intelligence chief reiterated the significance of the role of OSGoF in the war against criminality in the country.
In his response, Adebomehin said OSGoF, an extra-ministerial establishment of the federal government as the apex mapping arm and responsible for implementing the survey coordination act of the country, was ready to provide all resources at its disposal for the success of the operations of NAF and other arms of the Nigerian Armed Forces. He disclosed that his office produced navigational charts for the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), which was certified by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). He added that OSGoF had acquired more sophisticated equipment and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) as well as a digital printing outfit.
Adebomehin stressed that the surveyors and other staff were already undergoing series of training and retraining in readiness to provide geo-spatial needs of the government, its MDAs, and other sectors of the economy.
Outraged Lawmakers Say Nowhere is Safe in Nigeria
Members of the House of Representatives on Thursday expressed concerns over the worsening insecurity in the country, lamenting that nowhere is safe in the country anymore. Reacting to the recent attacks by terrorists on Kaduna airport and train, the lawmakers, while debating a motion of urgent national importance on the killings in Giwa, took turns to fault the security agencies and the federal government for their failure to end killings by terrorists and other criminal elements.
Hon. Shehu Balarabe (APC, Kaduna), while moving his motion, lamented that his local government had been ravaged by the series of attacks by bandits, who indulged in killings, kidnapping, raping, robbery and destruction of property. He said between 24 and 28 of March, bandits had unleashed attacks on those communities, killing over 117 people, while some corpses were yet to be recovered.
The lawmaker also claimed that more than 136 people were abducted, while over 10, 463 others had been displaced from their homes.
Contributing, Hon. Dachung Bagos (PDP, Plateau) called for suspension of funds appropriated for security agencies until they showed what they had achieved with what had been released to them over the years.
Majority Leader, Hon. Alhassan Ado-Doguwa, suggested that citizens should be allowed to bear arms to defend themselves. He said, “I arise to speak in the capacity of the Majority Leader, who of course, is the ambassador of government on this floor. When you have a government in place, the major responsibility of that government, especially, a democratic one which was elected by the people is to ensure safety of lives and property of the innocent citizens.
“Mr Speaker, when things like this continue on daily basis, those of us who are representatives of the government become speechless. We become speechless here to defend actions by government. This is an elected government, under a popular democracy but we continue day in, day out – killings, massacre, armed robbery all over – left, right and centre. Government in this case has to rise up to its responsibility, call a spade, a spade.
“On account of this institutional failure, regimental failure on the part of our security agencies, because you have just no cause to raise excuse, funding is provided, here we are now as an institution, we have now sent invitation, come and meet with the people of Nigeria, come and interface with us.
“With all sense of responsibility, I think Nigerians should this moment be allowed to also take arms. Nigerians must be allowed to take up arms in defence of their innocent souls, defend their hard earned properties, because it is like a monumental failure, if the agencies of security have failed, then Nigerians should not be seen as failure.
“Let Nigerian organise themselves in the way of civil defence. Let’s organise defence for their innocent souls, because if the responsibility of the government cannot be carried out democratically, then, everyone has the cause to defend himself. Nigerians should no longer be running away from attacks, unnecessary bandits.”
Ahmed Jaha (APC, Borno) was of the view that security matter in Nigeria has become a cash cow business, accusing security agencies of profiting from it.
Jaha said, “In 2021, we budgeted N460 billion for the Nigerian army alone, only N29 billion was for capital expenditure, the remaining was for recurrent expenditure. In 2022, we budgeted N571 billion for the Nigerian army alone, only 37 billion is capital expenditure, the remaining were recurrent expenditure.
“Mr speaker the truth of the matter is security in Nigeria has become a cash cow business. I am not willing to go without taking my own and he is not willing to go without taking his own and the other person is not willing to leave until when he got his own.
“It is a cash cow business. They don’t want it to finish, because they will realise that everybody’s attention was diverted towards north-east. Okay, let them release north-east to some extent and go to north-west, after north-west, they move to south-west. Before you realise what is happening, the whole country is gutted with security challenges.”
However, after being chided by Deputy Speaker, Hon. Idris Wase, he withdrew his comment and said he was not going to deal with him.
But Hon. Nasiru Ali Ahmed (APC, Kano) called for the sack or resignation of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Major General Babagana Monguno (rtd), for failing to curb insecurity in the country. Ahmed recalled when the service chiefs were sacked and IG of Police changed, adding that no one was indispensable.
According to him, “Since 2015, the inspector general of police, service chiefs have been changed. But the NSA has not been changed. The Army, Navy, Police, DSS all of these agencies are accountable to the National Security Adviser. From what I heard, most of these criminals were 16, 18 years old boys. Are we saying that the Nigerian Army, police, DSS, Air Force with all the training that they have had, all the international training, they have gone for peacekeeping.
“Are they now saying these 18 years old boys are more powerful than them? You travel by road, you are kidnapped; you go by train, you are kidnapped; you sit at home, you’re kidnapped. So, where are we going to stay. You can be kidnapped right in this chamber. I’m calling for the resignation of National Security Adviser, he must be removed. He has been there for seven years, what has happened?”
Wase, who presided over the session, however, disagreed with Ahmed, saying, calling for the sack of NSA might not be the solution to the issue. He noted that despite President Muhammadu Buhari changing the service chiefs, nothing has changed to stem the tide of insecurity in the country.
While blaming the judiciary for not prosecuting arrested culprits, he assured the people that the parliament would continue their investigative duties and anyone found wanting would not be spared, suggesting that activities for the day be suspended and prayers offered in solidarity with the lives lost to insecurity across the country.
The lawmakers, therefore, urged the federal government to implement recommendations contained in the House security summit, held last year.
In a related development, Chairman, House Committee on Defence, Hon. Babajimi Benson (APC, Lagos), told THISDAY that his committee and other security committees of the House would engage with the heads of the various services with a view to thoroughly and effectively analysing the incident (and other similar occurrences), proffering and implementing lasting and sustainable solutions.
Benson said, “The recent attack on an Abuja-Kaduna train is yet another sad and regrettable security breach. As a committee, we are saddened and highly disturbed by the incident and the brazen audacity of the bandits. We believe that Nigerians should enjoy adequate security everywhere they go. We, therefore, see this as a major setback that must be addressed immediately, especially, considering the current fear of traveling by road along that route.”
House Beams Searchlight on Own Security Committees
The House of Representatives resolved to look into the activities of its standing committees on security, to see how effectively they were carrying out their oversight functions on the security agencies.
The committees included Navy, Army, Air Force, Defence, Interior and National Security and Intelligence.
Contributing to a motion on the recent killings in Giwa Local Government Area of Kaduna State, the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Idris Wase, noted that a lot needed to be done to stem the tide of insecurity. He wondered if one report had ever been turned in by the Committee on National Security and Intelligence.
He said, “I don’t know one report that has been turned in by Committee on National Security and Intelligence. I don’t know,” mandating the relevant security committees of the House to step up their oversight functions as well as conclude the reports of their investigations.
Chief Whip of the House, Hon. Tahir Monguno, frowned on the slow pace with which the Committee on National Security and Intelligence carried out assignments.
Monguno said, “With regard to the committee, I can also recall that the first bill that was passed for second reading is my bill, which is the bill on small arms and light weapons. That bill was referred to the national security committee, but up till now, there is no report. Up to the extent that they had to go and appeal to Mr Speaker, which he had to set up an ad hoc committee. That is the extent the committee has not performed.”
PDP: El-Rufai, Amaechi’s Confessions Confirm APC’s Complicity
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Thursday, said the public utterances by Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, confirmed its position that the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration knew the whereabouts and plans of the terrorists ravaging the nation but deliberately refused to act.
PDP also said the comments by the Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi, that some members of the APC-led Federal Executive Council (FEC) frustrated his request to install security surveillance equipment to avert terrorist attack on the Kaduna-Abuja rail track, confirmed that the APC administration had been creating safety nets for terrorists to freely operate in our country.
PDP, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, said in exposing the APC government, which he was a part of, el-Rufai said, “We know where their camps are, we know where they are, the SSS has their phone numbers, they listen to them and they give me report…”
The PDP said that in his own confession, the Minister of Transportation said, “We knew what the problems would be. We knew we needed to have digital security equipment…I warned that lives will be lost and now lives are lost… When you come with sincerity to government and your colleagues are stopping you, it is annoying”.
PDP, therefore, said, “These revelation from high-ranking APC public officials, who are in the position to know, is troubling as they are unequivocal confirmation that APC leaders are in league with terrorists.
“It is, therefore, not surprising that President Muhammadu Buhari insists on retaining a self-confessed terrorist apologist, Dr. Isa Pantami, to continue to head the Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy, which is indispensable in any meaningful fight against terrorism in the country.”
Police Defuse Another IED in Kaduna
Another Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted in Rigasa area of Kaduna was defused by the Nigeria Police on Thursday.
The bomb, the police said, was planted a few kilometres to the Train Station.
On March 26, 2022, four people were injured in an explosion planted in Danmani community in Rigasa area.
A statement by the spokesman of the state police command, Mohammed Jalige, said the latest IED was planted in the area by yet to be identified persons.
He said the IED was sighted by residents of the area about 07:50 hours and they promptly reported to the police.
“In a swift response, the Command’s Explosive Ordinance Department (EOD) swung into action and successful defused the IED, without any loss of lives or property.
“The acting Commissioner of Police DCP Maiyaki Baba, thanks the residents of the area for their vigilance and prompt reporting of the incidence and assures them that the command will always prioritise the safety of the public,” the statement said.
The statement advised members of the public to always report suspicious movement or persons in their communities, noting that such information would be treated in full confidentiality.
He, however, said normalcy had since been restored in the area and residents were going about their normal business.
Meanwhile, the Kaduna State government has debunked reports that motorists were stranded along the Kaduna-Abuja highway, when terrorists barricaded the road.
In a statement, the Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, said the reports were not true.
Aruwan stated, “A few hours ago, some panic was spread on social media over bandits barricading the Kaduna-Abuja Road and kidnapping citizens plying the route. The buzz in circulation is false and was presented by a group of social media enthusiasts, who celebrate negative news.
“The preliminary operational feedback showed that fleeing bandits escaping a military onslaught attempted to pass through a narrow corridor around Kasarami general area of Kaduna-Abuja road. The troops, on receiving this intelligence, hurriedly moved to the location and engaged them in the adjoining forest.”
The statement further said the government would update members of the public whenever more detailed feedback was received.
“The Kaduna State Government does not deny the existence of security challenges and continues to work assiduously with relevant military and security agencies,” Aruwan said.
Chuks Okocha, Kingsley Nwezeh, Udora Orizu in Abuja and John Shiklam in Kaduna
Follow us on:
