Last week, the American Embassy issued an alert of a possible terrorist attack on strategic locations in Abuja. To show how serious the envisaged situation was, the embassy followed the alert up with an order that its citizens should leave the city and the embassy in Abuja be shut down.
Other mission in Nigeria also issued similar alert which has brought panic, fear, and undue pressure to residents as most companies and organisations operating in the city, making them to start shutting down also.
As usual, it was panic everywhere with people leaving the city while those already out of the city are avoiding it like a plague.
It was gathered that a British Airways from London to Abuja was diverted to Lagos and all passengers on board asked to disembark amidst threat of tear gassing but when they refuse to shift grounds the plane eventually made it to Abuja.
Respite came however later in the week when news started filtering in that some people were arrested in an estate in the city after blockage and a sting operation by a combine force of the Department of Secret Service and the US Army.
A lot of Nigerians reacted to the alert. While some were casting aspersions on the US embassy and all other embassies that followed suit in issuing the alert, others where of a different view entirely.
The federal government reacted by saying it would not be stampeded by whatever any foreign government tells its citizens.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said despite attempts by terrorists to embarrass the government, the security agencies were in charge of the situation and Nigeria remained safe.
Inspite the assurances from the government, the United States government, granted authorised departure status to US citizens in Abuja, and urged Americans to consider personal emergency action plans. This is huge.
Several questions are up begging for answers, and everyone is not sure who to ask or who will answer but nevertheless, the questions will be asked.
Is Nigeria been stampeded? If yes as noted in the Minister’s statement, then we ask further by who? Do we need the US embassy to alert us of a plot to bomb Abuja? Are our security outfits aware? Have our security outfits started sharing information and carrying out joint coordination? What role are US Army playing in our city to fish out terrorist groups? Who invited them? Where is the anti-terrorist squad? What interest is the US protecting in Nigeria? Does a country have the right to cause chaos in another and go free? Is there something the US is seeing in Nigeria that our government is not seeing? Why didn’t the US share the security information with our government? Or did they share, and our government failed to act?
People are speculating while asking what is responsible for this spate of alert which is causing panic in our nation and subjecting our security architecture to ridicule.
Nigeria has one of the strongest military might on the continent. Our exploit in Liberia is still fresh in our memories and to the envy of many advanced nations.
The current panic level in the nation’s capital calls for calm among our security operatives and it offers us the opportunity to show what we are capable of. I remembered my trip to Liberia with a detachment from the Nigeria Army to restore normalcy in the country following their civil crisis. I felt very proud being a Nigeria that day. As soon as we touch down in Monrovia, the whole city erupted with celebration and wild jubilation. As journalist I inquired to know while such celebration in the midst of the bloody war, I was told the US Marine had being on the high sea for almost a month but could not enter the city, they were waiting for the Almighty Nigeria Army to come in and stabilize the city.
Our current security challenges call for a thorough overhaul of the nation’s security strategy. We have seen clearly that not every nation is interested in our progress.
Our Security operatives knows Nigeria like the palm of their hands and can equally fish out anything they want. We should not let any nation bamboozle us into accepting that we cannot take care our own security.
