Army foils suicide attack in Abuja

ABUJA—Indications emerged, yesterday, that authorities of the Nigerian Army Garrison Headquarters in Abuja, foiled a suicidal plot by members of the dreaded Islamic sect, Boko Haram, to carry out a Christmas and New Year celebrations’ bombing in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.

Vanguard gathered that two drums loaded with explosives, several sizes of cans, including those of vegetable oils and palm oil converted to Improvised Explosive Devices, IEDs; about six AK-47 rifles and timing devices were recovered.


Landlord, middleman nabbed

Sources told Vanguard that two persons, the landlord of the house where the high caliber explosives were recovered, and another man described as the middle man who facilitated the movement of the plotters and IEDS to the house, where the attack was to be coordinated, have been arrested by operatives of the Army Garrison Headquarters.

A manhunt is also said to have been activated for the persons scheduled to carry out the bombings.

Vanguard was told that the operatives, made up of Military Intelligence and counter-terrorism personnel, stormed the house located in Suleja area, following a tip off at the dead of the night, but were unable to apprehend the two suicide bombers, who did not return from wherever they went on that day.

It was gathered that both the landlord and middleman were being detained in a military facility in Abuja, while the Police and SSS have been co-opted into the plan to get the two runaway plotters apprehended.

Security agents on red alert

Vanguard gathered that since the two have not been apprehended, security had been beefed up in and around Abuja, with all exit and entry points receiving special security attention.

Also, areas of national importance, including the National Assembly; Central Bank of Nigeria; NNPC Towers; diplomatic missions; Ministries of Defence, Finance, Foreign Affairs; ECOWAS Secretariat; service headquarters of Army, Navy and Airforce; Radio House; prominent hotels and recreations centres, are being heavily secured.

Furthermore, patrol teams of the Army Garrison Headquarters, Guards Brigade, SSS and the Police are moving round the city, even as mobile detectors have been activated to intercept any planned movement of explosives or IEDs around the FCT.

From Vanguard