Abuja Is Now Under Boko Haram Siege –Retired Army Generals

There are indications that the Boko Haram attack on Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, on Thursday might not be last of the deadly onslaughts on the Federal Government seat of power.



A former Chief of Defence Staff, Lt.-Gen. Alani Akinrinade, while decrying the attacks, said Abuja is under siege by Boko Haram and warned that they were likely to carry out more attacks on the nation’s capital.
“I will not be surprised if Boko Haram carried out more attacks on Abuja. What is the guarantee that all the people (terrorists) who bombed Nyanya died in the blast? They will return and reinvent it. Those saying such are right; that is what to expect.
“When you have a cell of terrorists — who we call urban guerrillas and five of them are operating in a community, it is not a very simple thing to find out.
“State Police is the beginning of intelligence. It is about people who go to drink in bars at night and those who go to night clubs. That is the beginning of intelligence. We don’t have that. They’ll recruit a man from Sokoto and send him to the Kaduna Police School. Immediately he finishes, they post him to Mushin where there is violence. How useful will he be?”


Barely three weeks after the sect bombed a motor park in Nyanya, a suburb of Abuja, killing over 75, the same Boko Haram attacked the same vicinity again with another car bomb, which claimed about 30 lives.

Some retired Army generals and former senior security operatives, who spoke to Punch on the issues, said it is clear that Abuja is no longer safe and urged security agents to rise up to the challenge without further delay.

Akinrinade, also decried the lack of adequate intelligence gathering by security agencies. He said the situation had made the creation of state police a necessity. He said Sambisa forest, which is widely believed to be a major base of Boko Haram insurgents in Borno State should be invaded.

Akinrinade said, “I cannot really think of why security forces have difficulty in locating the site called Sambisa forest, however large it may be. I do not believe it is impossible for security forces to run over the place and find out what exactly is going on or happening there. I can’t believe that.”