Police in Kano yesterday arrested eight suspected terrorists believed to be members of Boko Haram sect after an abortive attempt to blow up a police patrol vehicle.
The suspected gunmen allegedly trailed the security vehicle in a taxi cab to the Ring Road area of Hotoro Eastern Bypass, Kano, where they reportedly threw an improvised explosive device, IED, at the moving vehicle.
The bomb, however, narrowly missed the target.
An eyewitness told our correspondent that no casualty was recorded during the incident which occurred at about 7a.m. yesterday.
It will be recalled that there had been pockets of bomb and gun attacks in the Kano suburb recently, some resulting in deaths and injuries.
Our correspondent noted that following the clampdown on commercial motorcyclists with the restriction of their movement to 6p.m., the insurgents appeared to have resorted to carrying out their attacks in the early hours of the day.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Magaji Majiya, in a statement said: “On Thursday, December 6, 2012, at about 0730hrs when a motorised police patrol team was heading to their duty post on Ring Road, Hotoro, a taxi (Golf car) was trailing them behind and the occupants suddenly threw an explosive device at the police vehicle.
“The police officers swiftly disembarked from their vehicle, cordoned off the area and arrested the eight occupants of the Golf taxi cab.
“No injury was sustained during the attack. Investigation has already commenced.”
Our correspondent observed heavy security presence within Kano metropolis, following series of attacks within the last few days.
Terrorist attacks have been reported in Hotoro, Hausawa quarters and lately Ring Road on the Eastern Bypass in Kano.
Meanwhile, the apex northern socio-political organisation, Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, yesterday opposed military actions on the former commandants of the Armed Forces and Staff College, Jaji, after the twinbomb blasts in the military base. The blasts killed over 15 worshippers at St. Andrew’s Protestant Church in the barracks.
The ACF called for a thorough investigation into the incident and accused the military authorities of taking actions while the incident was still under probe.
It stressed that the action would jeopardise the outcome of the panel.
In a two-page communiqué signed by the ACF National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Anthony Sani, and made available to National Mirror after its general meeting, the forum condemned attacks on security formations.
The Defence Headquarters had recently removed the Commandant of Armed Forces and Staff College, Air Vice Marshal Adullahi Kure, and the Corps of Infantry, Maj.-Gen. Muhammad Isa. They were replaced with Maj.- Gen. K.C. Osuji as the new Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps and Air Vice- Marshal E.E. Osim as the new Commandant of the Command and Staff College.
However, a muslim organisation, Jama’atu Nasril Islam, JNI, had rejected the removal of Jaji commandants over the blasts, saying that the replacement of non-muslim as heads of the military formations was suspicious.
The JNI said in a statement signed by its Secretary- General, Dr. Khalid Abubakar Aliyu, on Tuesday said: “The fact that the two officers who were swiftly removed are Muslims and replaced by two officers who are non-Muslims makes any discerning observer to be suspicious of the motives behind the whole exercise.”
But the Public Relations Officer, Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, in the 19 northern states and Abuja, Mr. Sunday Oibe, had accused the JNI of dragging religion into the ongoing battle against terrorism in the country.
The ACF communiqué reads in part: “The meeting appealed to Federal Government to thoroughly investigate the incident at Jaji and no blames should be apportioned before the conclusion of the investigation.
“ACF is concerned that the authorities appear to be taking different actions for events that are identical in nature. “Such actions are liable to different interpretations, including the likelihood of injustice and victimisation of officers involved.
“The forum also noted the disturbing trend of bomb explosions in the nation’s security establishments most recent of which happened at the Jaji military cantonment. Such trend should not be allowed to continue.”
The meeting, chaired by ACF Deputy Chairman, Alhaji Saidu Barda, urged the Federal Government to institute a high powered commission to investigate the controversial killing of Gen. Mohammed Shuwa.
The communiqué added: “It deliberated mainly on matters bordering on security challenges created by acts of terrorism, armed robbery, kidnappings and militant activism in different parts of the country and by Boko Haram in the North.
“ACF considered the recent killings of prominent northerners by gunmen and particularly the allegations and controversies surrounding the killing of Gen. Mohammed Shuwa. “All these have been very disturbing, especially in view of the fact that nothing has been done to bring the perpetrators of the dastardly act to book.”
The ACF, however, urged northern governors, political leaders and traditional rulers to be on the alert as well as mobilise people for the impending 2016 national census exercise.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Army yesterday in Abuja dismissed a recent media report that the redeployment of some senior military officers at the Jaji military base, near Kaduna, was religiouslymotivated.
The Director of Military Intelligence, DMI, Maj.- Gen. Ahmed Jibril, stated the Army’s position at an interactive session with newsmen.
Jibril said the media report was credited to a Kaduna-based religious group, stressing that the claim was as a result of lack of knowledge and orientation on how military deployments were handled.
The director added that the Army would continue to adhere strictly to the principles of federal character in its appointments and deployments.
He said: “The attention of the Nigerian Army has been drawn to some publications in the dailies on the redeployment and changes made in the aftermath of the November 25 terrorist attack at the Jaji Military Cantonment.
“It is surprising that a section of the public is insinuating that the changes at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College and the Infantry Corps and Centre both in Jaji have religious connotations.
“For the avoidance of doubt, there was no religious consideration in the changes made, the changes were only effected to give room for a neutral inquiry into the attacks.’’
Jubril said that comments credited to the religious group were not fair to the military that had always strived to maintain discipline and justice in all its activities.
The director said that the military was not against Islam or Muslims, noting that the present administration of the Nigerian Army had made deliberate efforts to create a new relationship with civilians.
He called on Nigerians and groups who were confused about the operations of the military to come forward for explanation, adding that the army was always open to suggestions and complaints from members of the public.
He said that the establishment of the department of civil-military relations by the army headquarters in addition to its department of public relations underscored the authority’s desire to strengthen relations with the public. Commenting on developments into investigations on the Jaji attack, the DMI said that security agencies were making progress in their investigations and that a number of suspects had been arrested.
He said that although the board setup to investigate the Jaji attack might have concluded its assignment, the report was yet to be submitted to the Chief of Army Staff.
He disclosed that a joint security operation was ongoing at different locations in the country.
According to him, the military has ordered all commanders of military formations to intensify 24 hours patrol of their environments to forestall a reoccurrence of the Jaji incident.
National Mirror
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