There was heightened fear in parts of the South-East on Monday as news spread that hundreds of persons suspected to be Boko Haram members were arrested in Abia State.
The suspects, including eight women, were said to have been arrested along the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway by soldiers attached to the 144 Battalion of the Nigerian Army, Asa in the Ukwa West Local Government Area on Sunday.
Their arrest occurred some hours after security operatives detonated improvised explosive devices planted on the premises of a branch of the Living Faith World Bible Church (a.k.a. Winners Chapel) in Owerri, Imo State.
Before the Commander of the 144 Battalion, Lt. Col. Rasheed Omolori, announced the suspects’ arrest, the South-East governors vowed after paying a solidarity visit to President Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja that they would not allow Boko Haram to attack the zone.
Omolori had told journalists at a news conference that his men intercepted a convoy of 33 buses conveying 486 suspected insurgents aged between 16 and 24 around 3am on Sunday.
The suspects, according to him, claimed to have come from different parts of the North in search of jobs.
He added that two of the 33 buses escaped with their occupants and that the incident had been reported to the Defence Headquarters in Abuja.
The Abia State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Dr. Eze Chikamnayo, who was at the briefing alongside the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Charles Ajunwa, said the large number of vehicles conveying the suspects made the soldiers suspicious.
Wondering how such a long motorcade could not be intercepted by security personnel until it reached Abia State, Chikamnayo said it was also baffling that none of the suspects was able to identify the location they were heading for.
He however said that the Army and other security agencies in the state were working to uncover the actual mission of the suspects and those behind their movement.
The commissioner advised every state to work hand-in-hand with their security personnel to check insurgency in the country.
“Every security problem is local and if we handle it locally it will be nipped in the bud,” he said.
In Abuja, the South-East governors told State House correspondents that they were prepared to avert any plot by Boko Haram to attack the zone.
Governor Willy Obiano of Anambra State, who spoke on behalf of his colleagues said, “They (Boko Haram) can’t get there (South-East). I can assure you of that. We will not allow that to happen.
“I can’t tell you in any material details about bombs found or not found. All I can assure you is that we are on the alert in the South-East and we are watching what is going on.
“I can assure you that Boko Haram cannot come to the South-East.”
Obiano said the governors decided to meet with Jonathan to assure him of their support as he faces the challenges of nation-building.
He claimed that the President was under immense pressure and that some unnamed persons were making his work more tedious.
But the governor did not name such people “adding kerosene to fire” instead of supporting the President to take the nation out of the woods.
He said, “The President is a human being and he is under a lot of pressure and some other people are making his work a lot more difficult.
“But we are here to tell him that we are here supporting him and that he should count on us.”
Other governors who attended the meeting are Theodore Orji of Abia State; Martins Elechi, Ebonyi and Sullivan Chime, Enugu.
Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha whose domain the Sunday tragedy was averted was however absent from the meeting with Jonathan.
Okorocha later explained through his Chief Press Secretary, Sam Onwuemeodo, that his absence was not intentional.
He said he had a more important meeting to attend with the security chiefs in the state.
He added, “After the meeting with the security chiefs, there was an expanded meeting with the vigilante members and other local security groups in the state.
“All the meetings we had were to ensure that we do not give room for criminals to infiltrate the state and cause harm or damage. We had to check and mount heavy security presence on our borders rather than go to Abuja.
“Under normal circumstances, the South-East governors should have come here or even issue a press release.”
Okorocha wondered why his absence from the meeting should be an issue.
He said he only returned to Owerri on Sunday after attending the national convention of the All Progressives Congress and that it was only proper he attended to the pressing security challenges “at home rather than jump off to Abuja again.”
The governor advised that “the issue of Boko Haram should be seen as a war declared against the country.”
“We should all fight against it( insurgency) collectively instead of politicising it or trading blames,”Okorocha said.
Okorocha has however initiated a programme known as ‘Know your Neighbour,’ to make the people of the state to become security conscious and share information that could help in forestalling any attack by Boko Haram and other criminals.
The State Commissioner for Information, Dr. Theo Ekechi, said the programme was launched during a stakeholders’ meeting on Monday.
The state Commissioner of Police, the head of Civil Defence, paramilitary personnel teachers, leaders of commercial tricycle union and all members of the state executive council were present at the meeting.
He said, “If we all take security as our personal responsibility, we are not going to be oblivious of what is happening around us. We should always be on the alert and know what is happening around us.
“We formally launched a programme that is called Know Your Neighbour, which is intended to help all of us become vigilante personnel.
“It means everybody in Imo State will become a vigilante member and we will get information and share telephone numbers that are available in the public domain in case there is any alert.
“It was also agreed that it was through information that the explosives planted in a church were uncovered. There may have been suspicion; there may have been some infiltration.”
Explaining that it was natural for people to be afraid after such an incident, the commissioner added that the people of the state had already been told to go about their business without fear since normalcy had returned to the state.
However, the Igbo Leaders of Thought, an association of Igbo socio-political leaders, had on Monday accused the police of shielding the six “northerners”, arrested in connection with the Owerri incident.
The group, in a statement by its Deputy Secretary, Eliot Uko, said the failure of the police to parade the suspects was a pointer to its claim.
The statement read in part, “We condemn the refusal of the Imo Commissioner of Police to parade the arrested Boko Haram fighters who attempted to plant bombs in an Owerri church last weekend.
“The six fighters, said to be northerners by eyewitnesses,confessed they had a mandate to bomb five churches in Owerri. They are being shielded, a sharp contrast to the humiliation the police gave pro-Biafran activists in Enugu penultimate week by parading them naked to complete their humiliation.
“Ndigbo are keenly watching developments as they unfold.”
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Andrew Enwerem, told The PUNCH on Monday that the command would not parade the suspects because it could jeopardise ongoing investigations into the matter.
He explained that the investigation was aimed at ascertaining the motive behind the botched attack and the actual culprits and sponsors.
Enwerem said, “We are not parading the suspects because we do not want anything that will hinder the success of our investigation. Normalcy has returned to Owerri and members of the public are going about their business without fear.
“They have been assured of their safety and there is no problem. The objective for the investigation is to know the motive behind the planting of explosives and the actual culprits behind it.”
The Police authorities in Abuja warned on Monday that it was too early to link the Owerri bomb incident to Boko Haram.
The spokesman for the police, Frank Mbah, said at a news conference chaired by the Director General of National Orientation Agency, Mr. Mike Omeri, on Monday that it would be premature to point fingers until investigation into the incident had been concluded.
He said, “The media and citizens should not be in a hurry to link the Owerri incident to the established terror cells that we already know.
“Until the full identities of those behind that incident are made public (or are known to security forces); until their motives are established; it will be too pre-emptive for us to give it the toga of terrorism.
“It could be anything. For us in the security world, we are leaving all our options open and we are ready to test all hypotheses.”
Omeri, who spoke on other security issues, also disclosed that the report of the fact-finding committee set up by President Goodluck Jonathan to investigate the abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls would be submitted next week.
He appealed to “Nigerians and the international community for more understanding and patience in the determined efforts to rescue the girls.”
On the extradition of Aminu Sadiq Ogwuche, the mastermind of the April 14 bomb blast in Nyanya near Abuja, Omeri said the delay was not abnormal as necessary processes needed to be completed.
He said, “On Ogwuche, delays in matters like this are not unexpected. Since officers and officials are on top of this matter, discussing and fulfilling the conditions; let us await the outcome. If at the end of the day Ogwuche is not brought back, we will come and tell you.
“You are aware that the processes have commenced. There has been a court process; there has been a police process; there has been a diplomatic process and so on. We are still in order; nothing has gone wrong.”
The NOA chief also said that a Lebanese, Khaleel Diyab, who was abducted by gunmen in Langtang, Plateau State “was last night (Sunday) freed through the efforts of security forces.”
Diyab, who was reported by the media to be a Briton, works with Retro Construction Company.
When asked question on the offer of former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, that he could help to rescue the abducted Chibok girls, Omeri said he (Obasanjo) , as a free citizen, was “ free to do the things he is doing.” Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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Okorocha is boko haram member. Igbos should not allow these fools terrorise the east. Those arrested should be eliminated serially.
ReplyDeleteMay God save this country...BH again in south east! It's high time Nigerians take law into their hands....This rouge call boko haram are heartless, therefore there's no need taken their matter to court..Jungle justice is the best way to deal with any member of the sect..Those 486 members caught in convoy of 33 buses should have been set ablaze immediately....They are confirmed members of the sect and there mission is to spread their tentacle across the country....God bless Nigeria
ReplyDeleteSet those innocents alive and see what will happen. The entire Igbo race in the north will be extinguished. Fool.
DeleteWalai, we go commit genocide in southeast if the northerners try to bomb there. E be like say them no like their brothers wey dey that zone
ReplyDeleteAs many as that number in so many buses in the those wee hours? In search of which jobs in the south east? which federal industry or presence therein? just last week Gov Shettima said Boko Haram will go to the south. And now this has happened. if not for the emptiness and ineptitude of our leadership and the widely known cases of saboteurs in the military why must Nigerians suffer this way?
ReplyDeleteWhere was the security operative from the distant they travelled before reaching Abia State? Why should they take them to court? Is it not boko haram judge that will judge the case? Please, they need to be taught a hell fire sense in them. Let all the people continue to inject them one by one so that they can feel the pain of those they have lost their lives through killing. These people are evil and they need not to live among people of God.
ReplyDeleteThose people are not Boko Haram and this will be proved after investigation. The same thing happened in port harcourt. The Jigawa transport company that normally travel in a convoy obviously seeking safety in number must Change their strategy. These are hapless young men seeking greener pastures. Calling for their head will not solve anybody's problem. Let's be wise.
ReplyDeleteFear mongers. That is how they will now be controlling us foolish masses.
ReplyDeletehmmm, just learnt yesterday that okoroacha is a muslim, Owerri people I pity una. you guys opened your two stupid eyes and voted for a muslim to be your governor, you have already invited boko haram to your door place, so why complain? All Muslims are terrorist!
ReplyDeleteMy friend, this is just an absurd thing to say. Reverend King, remember him? Isn't he a christian or atleast claims to be one. Does that mean I refer to every christian as a reverend king? Or do I equate every christian with the few bad eggs who hold arms and rob and kill innocent souls or those who call themselves pastors and sleep with thier congregation. Its not a reasonable thing to say and I expect any normal thinking human to reason before passing inciting comments regardless of your religion or tribe. My name is Sulayman. I am a muslim and I am not a terrorist.
Deleteif the story teller is fool not all the readers are fools Abia state never bounded with any northern state that 30 buses full of people in convoy will cross about 3 to 4 states to Abia without being stoped and investigated. These people were all picked at deffrent points in Abia doing there legitimate bussenesses. My fellow commentators in this medium let appreciate each other, our common enemies are busy looting us sending their agents BH to chase us away and we are busy here castigating our selves. Revolution in egypt and other countries start in these medium let be careful to mind our words, let us not be agents of these criminals in power. they have where to go when the situation become unbearable while we dont. God knows why he join us together let us join hand to fight these people. we have no other country than this. thank you.
ReplyDeleteYou must be their sponsor. Deport them bacl so that they can re strategise?. You are one of them
ReplyDeleteThey should not even try to bomb or do any non-sense in south-east, cos if they do it Wat will come to them will be more then them
ReplyDeleteSomething ain't right about this arrest! I think someone somewhere is acting a written script, how on earth will boko haram be travelling in such convoy?(are they such stupid?) not every mallam is boko haram, security agencies should do their work ethically and stop harrassing innocent people because if you say every mallam is a suspect then every yorubaman is an OPC, every Niger deltan is a militants and every igbo is bakassi and all this group are 'outlaws' (so arrest everybody).
ReplyDeleteSome people on this forum are so blind sentimentally, even saying is like a taboo to them or has anybody forget so quickly? Massob threatned to bring down Nigeria, and MEND kept threatned the existent of this country, so why cant they(security agencies) go after them and leave those innocent(if proven) travellers alone?
All these groups u mentioned don't kill innocent people.
Delete(The Don) Are you behind this ?
Deletei swear we are Goin to couse mayhem and genocide if this people a killing becouse their arnt boko haram look at them their a job seeker imagine it seem the drum of nigerian war wa$ being bitting we are goin to dance skeluwa ontop of the stage we are nw ready what such of injustice i's this pls ?
ReplyDeleteWill it take a magician now to know that the Northern leaders, the Hausa/Fulani soldiers are now fully involved in Boko Haram insurgency? Otherwise, how can a convoy of 35 buses go through the whole North, pass through Enugu and come down to as far as Abia State before they were held. Who said they came to look for job? Which job? Which certificate? How many industries are in Abia State? Why dont they look for job in the whole 19 states in the North? Who invited them to come and look for job here in Abia State? They know they could be held that is why they didn't pack their weapons in the buses if at all they didn't do so. The security agencies should find out the trailers or Trucks where they packed their weapons. The trailers might be following them or in front of them but may not be very close to them. They should trace the two buses that escaped with their occupants if those buses are not carrying their weapons.
ReplyDeleteSo, basically they just arrested anyone they saw who was from the north??? What madness is this?
ReplyDeleteSSS says BH kinping they have been looking for is among them. What do you people have to say about that. I haven't seen a transport company of 33 buses heading for one destination. It is not even possible that you have a convoy of 33 buses of transport companies moving together to one destination. They should find out the transport company(ies) conveying the suspects. The transport company(ies) should be investigated if it was a regular boarding or a group of known people moving together. Nigerians have the character of not taking issues seriously as they present themselves. Una go dey assume till BH go gain ground for east. South east and south south we need to be on the alert and stop assuming. BH might be in our midst right now.
ReplyDeleteMay be Jonathan should have mounted road block to intercept them. Our security organs have abandoned their functions and the blame is heaped on one man
ReplyDeleteGOD IS ANGRY, LET US RETURN TO GOD. You don’t use human soldiers to fight a war that is a consequence of evil, Boko Haram is not fighting for anyone, they are not invincible, the problem is that God is angry. Let us return to God. Let the religious leaders own-up their deceptions and repent, let political leaders own-up their evils and repent, then let us (all national) own-up our evil comments, wicked actions, immoral and abominable action and repent in dust and ashes, God is rich in mercy, he will forgive us and heal our land. Nigeria is God baby, God is actually acting on his character of ‘jealousy’ (Exodus 20:5) He is a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers to their sons to the third and fourth generations of those that hate Him. Let us return to God He will have mercy and heal our land. God bless Nigeria.
ReplyDeleteNigeria people,, if obasanjo promise Nigerians to get the children out,,, that means he knows them,,, heeeeee,
ReplyDeleteLord have Marcy ooh,,,
Heage united nation Europeans,, what are you officials waiting for? If some one says he knows a group if terrorist,,
Such a country
Who is fooling who? How can 33 buses conveying 486 people to another state of the federation around 3am without prior contact with the host government or employers?
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, some are deceiving the nation with "National Conference". What is the outcome of the conference beside dubious intentions? Shame of the FG wasting our precious resources on useless thing. It is clear that using part of the money dashed out to those unpatriotic participants would have been more than enough to create employments for jobless Nigerians in their states of origin.
486 Boko Haram suspects arrested in Abia State