Terror Threat! ISIS 'Planning "Spectacular" Attack in UK' Warns Britain’s Head of Counter Terrorism

A senior police officer in Britain and national policing lead for counter terrorism has warned that ISIS may be planning a "spectacular" terrorist attack in the UK - and is trying to get battle-hardened jihadis into Europe.

Military Orders Arrest of General for Running Into Bush With Troops in Fear of Boko Haram

There were indications, weekend, that the Army High Command has ordered the arrest and detention of a Brigadier-General attached to the 3rd Division of the Nigerian Army (names with-held) over allegations of negligence that gave Boko Haram terrorists an opportunity to overrun some communities in Borno State recently.

Abubakar Shekau, Finally Killed?

Nigerian troops might have scored a strategic victory in the current battle against terrorists operating in the North East on September 17. During a desperate attempt to capture Konduga in their delusion to eventually marching on and capturing Maiduguri, the man who had been mimicking Late Abubakar Shekau in recent videos might have been finally killed.

According to senior military and intelligence sources, "it is getting more certain that the terrorists' commander who has been mimicking Shekau in those videos is the one killed in Konduga on September 17, 2014."

The PRNigeria sources said the suspected demise of the Boko Haram leader is responsible for the scattering of the sect members in different independent locations in the neighbouring countries, especially in Cameroon noticed in recent days.

The security sources did not deny the suspicion but cautioned that "the process of confirming that the dead body we have is the same as that character who has been posing as Shekau is ongoing. He is definitely a prominent terrorist commander. I don't want to say anything about this yet please."

Another high ranking military source insisted that the resemblance is too striking to be a coincidence. They cited his facial marks, beards and teeth apart from the recovery by the Nigerian troops of some of the Armoured Vehicles and Hilux jeeps that had featured in previous videos of the prime suspect.

The officers assured that the Defence Headquarters will soon address the nation after full investigation of their latest discovery.

- SR

Nigerian Troops Capture "High Ranking Boko Haram Commander", Kill 60 Insurgents In Konduga

Wednesday, September 17, 2014 was a bad day for stubborn Boko Haram terrorists operating in the North East as they lost scores of their members during repeated attempts to enter Konduga, about 70 kilometres to Maiduguri.

Boko Haram Retreats From Magadali Town, Borno State

Boko Haram Islamic insurgents have reportedly withdrawn from Madagali town of Borno State, after holding siege to the town for 24 hours, Daily Trust gathered.

Chairman of Madagali Local Government Area, James Waltharda, said the civilian casualty has been minimal so far but that many residents have been scattered across the state.
He added that five churches were burnt down by the Insurgents in Sabongari and Hembla settlements.
“The insurgents spent the night in Madagali, but military operatives are there now, because I spoke with them. I have not heard of any encounter between soldiers and the assailants, so I can say there is peace. But people will not return to their homes until they are certain that the insurgents have left completely. Our people have left the town for Michika and Shuwa and even in those towns, people are running”, he said.

A security operative who spoke to Daily Trust said the insurgents withdrew to their camps in Gwoza and Limankara in Borno State, few kilometers away from Madagali yesterday morning.
It was gathered that after hoisting their flags at the military base located at the secretariat of Madagali North Development Area, the insurgents patrolled streets in the town throughout the night.

Another source told Daily Trust that the siege on Madagali might not be permanent as the insurgent were
there in pursuit of troops from the Nigerian Army who had launched a failed offensive in the early hours of
Saturday in an attempt to reclaim Limankara and Gwoza.

A resident, Ibrahim Madagali, said the insurgents killed three civilians and that the assailants told some trapped
residents that they did not intend to attack residents as their targets were security agents.
“How could we trust them after they killed many people in Gwoza and other places, so we quickly left and are currently in Michika and we intend to move further because the people hosting me here are planning to run
to Mubi due to rumour of imminent attack”, Ibrahim said.

The Police Public Relations Officer in Adamawa, DSP Michael Haa, said security has been restored in the
area. He said he was not aware of any casualty suffered during the attack.

Source:
DailyTrust

Nigeria Police Seek Military Protection Aftermath of Boko Haram Attack on Gwoza Police Academy

Sequel to the recent attack on one of Nigeria's foremost police training institutions, the Police Academy, Gwoza, Borno State by Boko Haram on Wednesday, the Nigeria Police has reached out to the military to protect its facilities in the North.

It was learnt that the military would deploy soldiers to guard police barracks, primary and secondary schools, as well as its training colleges.

A senior security official, who pleaded anonymity, confided in our correspondent that Wednesday’s attack on the police college was seen in security circles as the beginning of the sect’s campaign against police
formations.

Boko Haram had carried out sustained attacks on military barracks in different parts of Borno State since the beginning of its insurgency.
The source said, “We know the sect is targeting the Police and other security formations. We have put our men on the alert. We are seeking the assistance of the military and other security agencies to ensure security of our facilities.”

The Force Public Relations Officer, Emmanuel Ojukwu, confirmed the plan to work with the military. However, he insisted that, far from being helpless, the police had strengthened security around its various training colleges and institutions to forestall further attacks by the sect.
Ojukwu said further developments would determine if its training institutions would be shut to prevent
planned attacks. The police spokesperson, however, refused to dwell on the strategies that the Police would deploy, citing “security reasons.”
Rather, he said the Police was collaborating with other security forces to provide adequate protection for police formations in the North-East and other parts of the country.

He said, “We are not contemplating closing training colleges for now. It is the situation on ground that would determine what we will do. We have already improved the security around our training institutions nationwide and we are working with the military and other security agencies to protect all our facilities.”

Also, Ojukwu, a Deputy Commissioner of Police, said he did not have details of the attack on the Police Academy in Gworza, Borno State.
He said, “We are in touch with the commissioners of police in the neighbouring states and there are plans to clear the academy of all insurgents. We are working with the military on that. As soon as there are updates, I will let you know.”

Speaking on the attack on the police formation, a security expert, Ben Okezie, said security forces had to do more to battle insurgents.
He said, “We can’t say we are winning this war now because each time the group relaxes, it is to reinforce
and stage deadlier attacks that can shake the nation. I don’t think the Police are still training their personnel in the school. Otherwise, the place would have been better protected with riot policemen who would give Boko Haram a serious fight.”

But another security consultant, Max Gbanite, said it is difficult to predict the outcome of asymmetrical warfare. He noted that the government had begun to understand how to fight the war by signing a multi-national joint agreement with neighbouring countries to combat the insurgents.
He said, “The government has begun to understand how the war would be fought but, unfortunately, the
insurgents won’t wait for them to purchase sophisticated weapons. The group has divided the nation and conspired to make the Army look bad by dressing in military uniforms and doing terrible things. We can’t win the war through threats.”

NigerianEye

Boko Haram Suspect Arrested Near Lagos Airport Confesses He Was Sent To Bomb Murtala Mohammed Int'l Airport

The Boko Haram suspect who was arrested at National Airport Management Authority (NAMA) annex in Lagos yesterday, confessed last night that he was sent along with other Boko Haram members to Lagos to bomb various parts of the city.

The physically challenged 22-year-old suspect who was caught with canisters around his neck, in his confession, told security operatives that his two other colleagues were assigned the task of bombing Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), as well as the densely populated Lagos Island and Apapa areas of the megacity.

A Security source, who spoke exclusively to THISDAY, said the suspect (name withheld) had confessed that he alongside several others were recruited from Niger Republic and were trained extensively before their deployment.

The suspect said the plot to bomb Lagos would not be simultaneously done, a clear deviation from the planned simultaneous attacks last year March, when the sect tried to bomb various designated places across the state at the same time.

According to him, the attempt by the
physically-challenged suspect was the first attempt to bomb Lagos after the twin bomb blasts in Apapa two months ago that claimed no fewer than five persons including the suicide bomber.

A security official, who spoke to THISDAY on the strict condition of anonymity, said the attempt would have been successful but for the inability of the explosives to detonate when they were supposed to.

He said: “He was caught because when he tried to set off the explosives, there was a hitch. He ran back to an obscure place to check it out and fix it.

His suspicious movement and the frustration evident on his face aroused the suspicion of security operatives attached to NAMA.”
Also speaking, another source from the state security department said already, investigations had kicked off in full gear to round up other suspects who were said to have been deployed to wreak havoc in the state.

The suspect was arrested at the NAMA annex facility, known as CENTREX, about 300 meters from the international terminal of the airport, opposite the airport cathedral.

THISDAY learnt that the suspect was making frantic phone calls, and looked frustrated and restless. His mannerism and slovenly conduct aroused the suspicion of security personnel who were watching him and subsequently arrested him.

He was taken to the MMIA police station at Beesam junction. Shortly after his arrest, the police had initially pleaded for more time to undertake the investigation to confirm the identity and mission of the suspect.

The police also said that the suspected explosive device found on the suspect would be examined and confirmed later, adding that it would be hasty to describe it as an explosive.

A police officer, however, described the device found on the suspect as locally made explosives.

Reacting to the incident, the General Manager, Public Affairs of NAMA, Supo Atobatele, said the suspect was within the vicinity of the airport making phone calls along the Airport Road when the agency’s security personnel accosted him.

He said his incoherent explanation aroused further suspicion, especially with the suspicious looking canisters on his person.
“The attention of NAMA has been drawn to insinuations that a suspected suicide bomber was arrested at one of the agency’s facilities at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on Monday.

“The basic truth however is that the said suspect was on the ground making phone calls along the Airport Road close to CENTREX, an annex office of NAMA when the agency’s security personnel accosted him.

“His incoherent explanation exposed him to the security personnel who later found on him some devices suspected to be explosives. He was subsequently handed over to the Airport Police Command for further investigation.

“The Managing Director, Ibrahim Abdulsalam, in reaction, commended the security personnel for their vigilance and prompt arrest of the suspect,” Atobatele said in a statement.

The suspect who wore brown shorts and a white T-shirt was prevented from speaking to reporters about his mission to the airport.
But another policeman told THISDAY that the suspect was not willing to talk initially, having concealed his age but later said that his father was from Kano while his mother was from Cameroon and that he lived in Nasarawa quarters in Kano.

Yet, another senior security official with one of the aviation agencies told THISDAY that enquiries had revealed that the suspect was from Niger Republic, arrived Lagos on Sunday
and was asking people for the location of the airport before he was arrested.
The official alleged that the suspect was on a mission and was sent by somebody, dismissing the initial statement from the police that he was a lunatic.

“I don’t think that the suspect is a lunatic. If the police say that he is a lunatic let them prove that he is one.
“From my own assessment, the suspect was on a mission; he was sent by somebody, but the police have not given us more information.
I went to see him and the young man spoke both in English and in Hausa. The police said they should be given time to investigate the suspected devices, so let me give them time,” the official said.

Source:
ThisDay Newspaper

Boko Haram Kills 10, Raze Homes, Military Camp and Police Station In Fresh Attack

Kano (Nigeria) (AFP) - Suspected Boko Haram gunmen killed 10 people who had fled their homes to escape repeated attacks by the insurgents, after hunting them down in a nearby village, witnesses said on Monday.

Aftermath of Bomb Attack on Buhari: FG Ramps Up Security Cordon Around Former Leaders

Sequel to the bomb attack on former Head of State, General Muhammadu Buhari, a massive security cordon has been reportedly thrown around former leaders irrespective of political
leanings.

Buhari escaped being killed in a bomb blast in Kaduna on Wednesday, hours after a hot verbal exchange between him and President Goodluck
Jonathan over the impeachment of All Progressives Congress (APC) governors.

Jolted by the possibility of finger-pointing in an event of any eventuality, the Jonathan administration is said to have improved on the existing security around the former leaders, to avoid a repeat of the near-fatal attack on any of the living former leaders.

A couple of the former leaders, especially those of Northern extraction had issues with the president, with Buhari, his defeated challenger in 2011 presidential election, being his most strident critic. Buhari is also the president’s projected challenger in 2015 election.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo also has political differences with Jonathan.
Apart from the normal security in place for them, more soldiers and men of the State Security Service, it was learnt, are to be added to the former leaders’ retinue of security details.

An aide to the president who is currently abroad told Saturday Tribune by phone that the former leaders had always been given a full complement of security details, adding that he was not on ground to confirm if an addition had been made to their security arrangement.
The aide, however, noted that the Kaduna blast was beyond the quantum of security arrangement around the former leaders, adding that the real story behind the blast would soon be known as investigation progresses.

A security source said the move was being handled as surreptitiously as possible to avoid any possible compromise since it has become
difficult to trust even close associates of the said former leaders.

Spokesperson of the APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said he had no comment when contacted.
He said it was a security issue that should not necessarily be discussed.

Tribune

Bomb Blast Rocks New Road Bus Station, Sabon Gari, Kano

Residents of Sabon-Gari in Kano, Kano State, have confirmed to SaharaReporters that a high
capacity improvised explosive device (IED) detonated at the New Road Motor Park in Sabon Gari, Kano, at around 3:00pm (1500 GMT) today.

One of them, who spoke with SaharaReporters on phone, said the explosive devices were hidden in a
worktop fridge, concealed in a bag and dropped off by two men masquerading as travelers.

The number of dead and injured victims was unclear at the time of reporting, but unlike last year’s blast the same area, there were fewer number of people around the scene of the blast. In March at least 60 were reported killed, and several vehicles destroyed by a bombing at the same motor park.

Police in the state also confirmed the blast, saying: “Explosion has occurred at New Road Motor Park, Sabon-Gari, Kano, at 3pm. Explosives [were] hidden in table-top fridge disguised as luggage.”
Today's incident joins the near-daily string of attacks that has plagued the region.

SR

Nigeria Ranks High in Global "Terrorism" Casualty Rate - Maplecroft Report

Nigeria has the world’s highest casualty rate from "terrorism'' with an average of 24 deaths per attack out of 146 recorded in the year through June, according to
risk consultancy Maplecroft.

The global average is two deaths per attack, the Bath, U.K.-based group said in a report released today titled
the Maplecroft Terrorism and Security Dashboard.

Nigeria, Africa’s biggest economy, recorded 3,477 deaths in those attacks as violence by the Boko Haram
Haram Islamist militants grew in scale and sophistication, it said.
“The increased capacity of Boko Haram is likely to lead to a further loss of investor confidence,” Maplecroft
said in the report. The latest figures represent a doubling of the 1,735 deaths recorded in the previous year through June 2013, it said.

Boko Haram, whose name means “western education is
a sin,” is waging a five-year-old violent campaign that has killed thousands, to impose Shariah, or Islamic law,
in Africa ’s most populous country of about 170 million people. Nigeria, the continent’s biggest oil producer, is
roughly split between a mainly Muslim north and a predominantly Christian south.

The group drew global outrage with its April 14 abduction of 276 schoolgirls from their dormitories in the northeastern town of Chibok. Though the U.S.,
France and the U.K. joined the search for the girls, most of them are yet to be rescued.
The militant group claimed three bomb attacks this year in Abuja, the capital, that killed at least 120 people.

Maplecroft ranks Nigeria fifth in its list of “extreme risk”.countries topped by Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and
Somalia. While more people have died in those countries due to more frequent attacks, the average death toll per attack has been lower than Nigeria’s,
according to Maplecroft.

Bloomberg

Nigeria Police Warn of Possible Terrorist Attacks on Abuja

ABUJA (AFP) – Nigerian police warned on Saturday of a new wave terrorist attacks on the capital Abuja,
where more than 100 people have been killed in bombings since April.
Officers claimed they had “credible intelligence reports” of suicide attacks being planned on the city’s transport system, with terrorists also plotting
to detonate improvised explosive devices concealed in luggage, bags and cans.

The Islamist Boko Haram sect claimed responsibility for killing 75 people in the bombing of the main bus station at Nyanya, on the outskirt of Abuja, on April 14.
A car bomb at the same spot two weeks later killed 19 and left 80 others injured, while 21 people were killed on June 25 at a crowded Abuja shopping centre in other attacks blamed on the sect.
“The terrorists have perfected a plot to carry out attacks on the Abuja transport sector,” the police said in a statement on Saturday.
It urged people to be vigilant, and said that security forces were working to “deal with the threat”.
The Nigerian government has been under intense international pressure since the abduction of 276 girls by Boko Haram from a secondary school in Chibok in the north of the country in April.

Parents and local leaders have accused the military of doing almost nothing to secure the release of the hostages. Fifty-seven of the girls escaped within days of the night-time raid on the school in Borno state but local officials have said that 219 are still being held.

Courtesy:
TheNews

United Nations Adopts New Strategy Against Boko Haram

The United Nations (UN) said yesterday that it has adopted a new strategy for assisting Nigeria in tackling the menace constituted by the Boko Haram sect.
This was disclosed by the special
representative of the United Nations
secretary-general for West Africa, Mr Said Djinnit, at the opening of the 45th ordinary session of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, and a two-day summit in Accra, the Ghanaian capital.

President Goodluck Jonathan left Abuja on Wednesday evening to Accra where he is also attending the ECOWAS summit.
Djinnit, who said the support of the sub-regional body to the counter-terrorism efforts of the federal government in tackling the Boko Haram scourge was satisfactory, noted that the strategy known as integrated support package was targeted at complementing ongoing
efforts by Nigeria which can only achieve results through a multi-dimensional approach.
According to him, the current support
from ECOWAS was also a reflection of the solidarity of the countries of the region and their legitimate concern about the spread of violent extremism.
The UN Envoy said, “The United Nations has adopted an integrated support package to complement Nigeria’s efforts, since we are convinced that only a multi-dimensional approach can bring lasting solution to the crisis.
“Our primary and immediate concern is the plight of children including in
particular those that are being held in
captivity by the terrorists, Boko Haram group, as well as the fate of the civilian population in the north-east where human rights and humanitarian conditions are distressing.”

Also, the heads of state and governments of the ECOWAS have promised that they would not rest on their oars in supporting Nigeria to combat the excesses of members of the sect. Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama, who is currently chairman of the authority of heads of state and government of ECOWAS region, commended the establishment of peace operations in Cameroon and Chad to defeat the Boko Haram sect in north-eastern Nigeria. He said great opportunities lie ahead of the region for creating prosperous life for citizens but only when its leaders can achieve peace and security.
He said, “Less than two months ago,
precisely on 30th May, 2014, we met at this same venue for an extraordinary summit. The main purpose of that gathering was to review the security situation in our sub-region, specifically in northern Mali and some parts of northern Nigeria.
“Let me take the opportunity to thank all who are involved in the efforts to bring peace to our sub-region. We welcome the role of Algeria and Mauritania and others to bring peace to Mali. We acknowledge the peace operation from Cameroon and Chad to defeat the Boko Haram in north-eastern Nigeria.”

Other issues discussed at the opening
session of the meeting included the
proposed biometric identity cards for
ECOWAS citizens to aid easy identification and movement for trade purposes.
The lingering difficulty in doing business by citizens in the region was one of the concerns raised by the leaders.
At the meeting, they identified Illegal
checkpoints, unnecessary documentation requirements, substantial informal payments at borders and transit fees as some of the huddles inhibiting free trade.

Courtesy:
Leadership Newspaper

Dick Cheney Predicts Attack This Decade ‘Far Deadlier’ Than 9/11

Former vice president Dick Cheney predicted Tuesday that the U.S. will face a catastrophic attack before the end of the decade that will be worse than the Sept. 11, 2001 bombings.

"I think there will be another attack," Cheney said on Hugh Hewitt's radio show. "And next time, I think it’s likely to be far deadlier than the last one. You can just imagine what would happen if somebody could smuggle a nuclear device, put it in a shipping container, and drive it down the Beltway outside of Washington, D.C."

Cheney, a hawkish Republican, has been an outspoken critic of President Obama's national security and foreign policy. He recently started a new group with his daughter Liz Cheney that aims to educate the public about their positions.

The Washington Post