NEWS
Three security breaches that occurred within the past 24hrs to this publication expose the level of insecurity in the country.
It is obvious that the state of insecurity in Nigeria has gone beyond the level of bold and daring and up to that which can now best be described as brazen. This, one can say is with particular reference to the northern region of the country. These bandits or should one come out straight and call them what they are, terrorists, which were accused of targetting supposed soft targets like village farmers and travellers have now upped their ante as they now brazenly attack government and even high-security facilities and even the convoy of the president. They come in hordes, sometimes in numbers surpassing a gross and brandishing all manners of weaponry, ranging from the sophisticated to the crude.
This state of heightened insecurity in the country has reached such an alarming level as media outlets are overwhelmed with reports of unfortunate and ugly incidents in the country that expose the level of insecurity in the land. In 24 hours or thereabouts to this publication, three high-profile incidents have occurred in the country that is noteworthy.
1. The attack on Kuje prison in Abuja by terrorists.
According to the report by Vanguard Newspaper, a high-calibre bomb had first gone off at about 10:25 pm followed by a second and third blast as well as sporadic gunshots that residents into panic mode.
This attack on Kuje prison exposes how insecure a government facility has become and if these unidentified gunmen succeed in releasing prisoners from the prison, it will definitely be detrimental to the security of lives and property.
2. The killing of ACP Aminu Umar Dayi
Emerging reports in the last 24 hours have it that bandits ambushed and killed an Assistant Commissioner of Police by the name Aminu Umar Dayi, who was in charge of Dutsinma Area Command in Katsina in a fierce gun duel on Tuesday. The report revealed that the late ACP Aminu Umar led his team on their usual clearance operation that led to the death of one of the commanders of the bandits and in retaliation, the bandits numbering over 300 ambushed his team and the gallant officer lost his life in the gun battle.
Late ACP Aminu Umar
This report also exposes the level of insecurity in the country if bandits could have the courage to confront gallant officers as a form of retaliation.
3. The attack on President Buhari’s advance convoy team in Katsina.
The presidential aide on media and publicity has released a statement confirming the attack on the advance team of President Buhari’s convoy in Katsina State. Narrating the incident, Garba Shehu revealed that the attackers opened fire on the presidential convoy from ambush positions but were repelled by the gallant security escort.View pictures in App save up to 80% data.
For me, this attack on President Buhari’s convoy left me dumbfounded and I began to wonder the kind of courage these gunmen had for them to attack the advance convoy of the number one citizen of the country. This attack exposes how insecure the country and the common Nigerian have become because if the President’s convoy could be attacked despite the huge security details attached to his advance convoy team, then what is the fate of the common Nigerian that moves around without any security detail?
Kuje Prison Attack: DCP Abba Kyari, Dariye, Nyame, Others ‘Missing’
The whereabouts of some high-profile inmates at the Kuje Medium Correctional Centre remain a puzzle at the moment after an attack by terrorists on the facility.
Recall that heavily armed gunmen had invaded the correctional center around 10.30 pm on Tuesday night.
The gunmen who bombarded the facility and successfully operated for about one hour unhindered reportedly freed Boko Haram inmates at the correctional centre.
It was gathered that other inmates used the opportunity of the attack to escape from the Kuje Prison.
Sources told The Nation that a Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, and his men who were in the facility may have escaped from the facility.
Kyari, who was remanded in prison earlier this year, is standing trial for allegedly dealing in cocaine alongside four members of his former police unit and two other persons arrested at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu.
Former Plateau Governor Joshua Dariye and his Taraba counterpart Jolly Nyame who the National Council of States had granted pardon, were also in the facility when the terrorists attacked.
Speaking to the publication, sources within the facility stated that besides the high-profile inmates, some terrorists and other criminals might have escaped in the thickness of the darkness and the gunfire from the attackers.
However, there was no official confirmation of the number of escapees and their identities.
A source told The Nation it would be difficult to confirm if Kyari and his men were evacuated for safety before the attackers entered the facility.
He also said the same applied to the former Governors.
But in a chat with Peoples Gazette, a correctional officer, who wanted to remain anonymous, had said inmates like Abba Kyari, Farouk Lawan, and other prominent detainees are still in the facility.
Soldiers Guarding Kuje Prison ‘Redeployed’ Hours Before Attack
Amid suspicions of high profile government security participation new reports emerging on Wednesday allege that soldiers attached to Kuje Medium Correctional Centre were removed and redeployed hours before Boko Haram terrorists attacked the facility. Media reports reaching this office is that over 600 inmates escaped from the facility after the attacks, but high-profile inmates reportedly remained behind.
The Ministry of Defence had confirmed that all members of the Boko Haram terrorist group kept at the center escaped.
Naija News reported that the heavily armed gunmen invaded the federal facility around 10.30 pm and successfully operated for about one hour unhindered.
Security sources have revealed to Vanguard that soldiers deployed to Kuje vicinity and the Correctional Center’s environment, who had mastered the terrain and acclimatized, were moved out before the attack.
It was, however, gathered that the period the soldiers were supposed to stay in that deployment had elapsed, and they were due for rotation.
Security sources revealed that the terrorists were able to beat checkpoints mounted by security agencies through the use of motorcycles.
One source told the publication that when the terrorists wanted to commence the operation, they opened volleys of bullets sporadically, which made many residents take to their heels, thus clearing the way for their operation.
Meanwhile, a top official of the Nigeria Correctional Service has debunked the report that suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police Abba Kyari, and some high-profile inmates escaped Kuje Prison.
The official claimed that terrorists who bombed Kuje Medium Security Custodial Centre, Abuja, on Tuesday night attempted to gain access to Kyari’s cell but were unsuccessful.
