*IGP orders fresh directives to fortify FCT
As fear of terrorists invasion grips the residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, has ordered a beef up of security to fortify the nation’s capital.
This is even as parents of students of boarding schools in the FCT have forced the management of the schools where their children are studying to immediately ask them to go on vacation, taking off their children from the schools.
Mostly affected were private schools owned by religious bodies and private individuals.
As soon as Monday’s attack on the Guards Brigade and related casualties became public knowledge, several parents moved in to the schools and evacuated their children.
It was a stressful atmosphere at the affected schools as the schools management pleaded with the parents to permit them discuss the issue with their security contact as well as their respective institutions’ management, but the parents would not listen to such plea, insisting they must take their children home.
The insistence forced most of the private schools to rush the remaining examinations, asking the parents to come pick their children between Wednesday and Friday.
Even at that, some parents insisted they must take their children and can only bring them to school to take the remaining examinations as they have lost confidence in the entire thing happening in the country.
The affected schools, spread across the FCT (not to be named to protect them from victimisation), had no option than to yield to the demands of the parents and released their children.
Subsequently, the FCT Education Department issued a directive to all public schools to round-off any remaining examination and send their students on vacation latest by Saturday.
Recall that residents of the FCT have been living in fear since the invasion of Kuje Prisons by ISWAP on July 5, 2022.
Over 800 inmates, including all the Boko Haram suspects in detention were released during the invasion.
The recent attack on detachment of the elite Guards Brigade, responsible for securing the Prsidency and entire FCT, and the boast by the ISWAP and ANSARU that they will kidnap President Muhammadu Buhari and Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, the Kaduna State Governor, as well as several unreported kidnapping of FCT residents, even in the city center, have sent shivers down the spine of residents.
A Captain, Lieutenant and a soldier were killed by the terrorists around the Bwari area of the FCT on Sunday night as the terrorists ambushed the Guards Brigade troops.
The deceased officers were attacked after they visited the Nigeria Law School in Bwari following a distressed call from the authorities of the school.
The school management was said to have alerted that terrorists had dropped a letter indicating an imminent attack.
Similarly, the seeming reluctance of the government to phase out the several unregistered motorcycles operators, whose identities are unascertainable, but operating across the FCT and several reports of threat to neighbourhood largely ignored by the police who claim the boys are being profiled, have not helped matters.
There have been several leaked intelligence memos by security agencies on plots to attack the nation’s capital.
However, in a statement on Tuesday, Force Public Relations (FPRO), CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said the IGP had charged the Force Intelligence Bureau (FIB) to collaborate with residents in order to ward off adversaries.
He added that the force is leaving no stone unturned in ensuring that the criminals are brought to their kneels.
”We are not leaving any stone unturned to fortify the Federal Capital Territory and its environs.
”The IGP has ordered for additional deployment of assets to Strategic areas of the FCT while the Force Intelligence Bureau has been charged on robust Intelligence gathering and information sharing amongst other agencies.
”All residents of the FCT are urged to synergise and be on the same page with the Police and other security agencies in making sure that we forestall any ugly incidences in and around the FCT,” the statement read.
But he did not say if any reprimand awaits any Police Officers or DPOs whose jurisdiction fell short of carrying out the directive, which has been lacking in police operational order needed this time than ever before.