Boko Haram: Churches, mosques employ anti-bomb squad

Amidst fear that members of the dreaded Boko Haram Islamist sect has infiltrated states in Nigeria after dislodgement from north by Nigerian Army, churches and mosques have resorted to hiring services of anti-bomb policemen.

There was fear yesterday at Ikeja area of Lagos after some citizens sighted anti-bomb police team moving from churches to churches. Citizens feared the worst, thinking there might have been bombs planted somewhere.

But a police source described the movement of the bomb squad as quite normal and routine.

According to the source, since the news from the Army broke that dislodged members of Boko Haram might move into other states to attack, churches and mosques in Lagos have taken to inviting anti-bomb teams to educate its members on detention of bombs and what to do in such eventualities.

The source said: “The movement of the bomb squad teams is just for sensitisation. The sensitization is about bomb awareness. It’s a normal thing. We do it every time; especially since the military said that escaping Boko Haram members into different states was a national threat. Now, most of the churches and mosques are inviting bomb squad teams to come and sensitise them.

“The members are taught identification of bombs and what to do when they see suspicious looking objects. Some of these churches and mosques had even engaged the services of anti-bomb policemen. The idea is to forestall any immediate threat. When the military revealed the threat, anti-bomb squads across the nation were instructed by the police top hierarchy to embark on massive sensitisation.”