Following the discovery of a confidential memo purportedly in Abuja (Federal Capital Territory, FCT) from the Department of State Services (DSS) that warned of planned coordinated attacks, security has been alerted and increased in the city.
According to the reports obtained in the memo, The Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, the Kuje Correctional Center, and other critical facilities throughout Abuja are among the purported strategic targets listed in the document that has gone viral online.
Although the document’s validity has not been formally verified by authorities, the Nigeria Customs Service was issued an internal memo warning of plans by Boko Haram, Ansaru, Islamic State West Africa Province, and JNIM to attack the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Kuje Custodial Center, and a military detention facility in Wawa, Niger State. The Nigerian Customs Service then informed that Department of State Service, DSS.
According to the paper, ISWAP forces had already infiltrated areas of the Federal Capital Territory in anticipation of coordinated strikes, possibly with the goal of releasing rebels who had been incarcerated.
In addition to the panic concerns, the attack on the Kuje correctional facility on July 5, 2022, which was one of the biggest security breaches in Nigeria’s recent history, has rekindled public fear due to the most recent alarm. Recall that heavily armed terrorists used explosives and continuous gunfire to storm the building during the coordinated assault and a major convict breakout was made possible via a breach in the prison’s back fence.
In reaction to this alert, security services have increased operational visibility and monitoring, checkpoints have been strengthened and patrols have increased throughout the capital in what officials characterize as precautionary steps meant to dissuade any prospective threat.
Security situation in Abuja
With an upsurge in kidnapping, armed robberies, and terrorist threats against citizens, especially in suburban areas, Abuja’s level of insecurity has dramatically escalated. Attacks on military formations, armed banditry in residential estates, and heightened travel advisories due to deteriorating security are recent concerns.
Earlier this month, videos circulating on social media claiming that a terrorist organization stormed Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, have been condemned by Nigerian police as “completely false, misleading, and maliciously disseminated messages.”
According to the police, the video that was making the rounds on the internet was purposefully assembled from irrelevant content in order to incite fear and mislead the public about the state of security in the Federal Territory of Nigeria.
