Following the launching of multiple rocket attacks in Maiduguri, Borno state capital, by Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) hours before the visit of President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday, the Federal Government yesterday said it was worried about terrorists’ ability to fire rockets.

The Federal Government expressed worry on a day Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano state cried out for help saying terrorists, armed robbers, bandits and criminal elements had invaded and taken over Kano forests.

It is pertinent to note that hours before the visit of President Muhammadu Buhari in Maiduguri, Borno State, on Thursday, multiple rockets explosions rocked the capital with rockets hitting many houses around Ngomari, Bulumkutu and Ayafe communities near the airport. This reportedly led to a massive deployment of troops to combat ISWAP elements and to foil the attack by the terrorists.

Fielding questions from State House Correspondents after a security council meeting presided by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on the attack, the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Alkali Baba Usman said the ability of the terrorists to strike with rockets was worrisome.

However, the police boss said the terrorists failed to achieve their objectives with the rockets launch.

Flanked by the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, the IGP said, “They are launching it in major towns, they are launching it in Maiduguri. It is a concern. And it has been seriously checkmated. There are efforts to continuously checkmate it. What they have done yesterday (Thursday), yes, they have done it, but to a large extent, they have not achieved what they have intended to achieve because of the situation the security agencies particularly the military put in place.”

When asked whether the security agencies have been able to trace the origins of the rockets, the IGP said it had been done before and after the firing incident occurred.

He said, “Yes, it had been done before and even after. Some of those who must have planned and thrown those rockets have been taken out.”

The IGP said that the security agencies were working at improving on what they were already doing “to ensure there is peace, law and order during the Yuletide period and beyond.”

He mentioned President Buhari’s marching orders to security agencies, which, according to him, are always the same.

Explaining, Baba said: “The marching orders are always the same, you have even told Nigerians the marching orders of the President. It has always been the same. There is no space, there is no tolerance to any threat to security. There is no sparing of any terrorists and there must be an intelligence gathering, there must be proactive prevention of crime and there must be checkmating of all those that are involved in criminal activities, whether it is terrorism, banditry or armed robbery or whatever and that is what we are trying to do to the best of our knowledge and ability.”

The Federal Government has also said there was no need to worry over the alleged leaked memo where security intelligence revealed that terrorists have planned to attack the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, during the festive period. It went on to explain that the nature of criminality in the southeast is the reason for the high presence of police on the roads.
However, Nigerians have been accusing security agencies in the southeast of harassing and extorting people at checkpoints.

Comparing the north and the east he said: “Where there are more people you have the problem of policing than where you don’t have. What we have in some of the states(in the north) is a big landmass without actually having too many people.

“In some spaces (in the east) we have too many people in a small place. That means there is human interaction and you need to have to police there much more than what you have where you don’t have that number of population.”

The Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, who led the briefing on the outcome of the security meeting, gave assurance that there was no threat to safety and security in the Federal Capital Territory

Asked about the leaked memo of planned terrorists’ attack, Aregbesola said: “Abuja is secure and very safe. If there was a leak, as you mentioned, it could just be an operational alert that does not require any worry or concern. The Council has mandated us to assure Nigerians of their safety and enduring peace for the period of the festivities.”

The minister said the council had asked them to assure Nigerians that measures were in place to ensure their safety during the Christmas season and beyond.

“The message of the Security Council, through you to Nigerians, is that all measures for the safety and security of the Nigerian people and Nigeria are in place for a successful and happy celebration of the yuletide and the New Year,” he stated.

I’ll keep doing my best till May 2023 I will leave office – Buhari