The incessant bombings across the Nigerian landscape, particularly last week’s terror attack on the Force Headquarters by the insurgent Islamic group, Boko Haram, and the failure of the intelligence arm of the
security forces to curtail the attacks, are creating a huge confusion in the police and Federal Government circles.A top security source told SATURDAY PUNCH on Friday in Abuja that at a meeting with security forces on Tuesday, President Goodluck Jonathan expressed concern over persistent intelligence failure in the country.
SATURDAY PUNCH investigations showed that the confusion in the police was a result of the persistent intelligence failure in the force.
The confusion is more pronounced as there is concern that the terror group might have infiltrated the network of the security agencies and enlisted the support of some of their agents in perpetrating their violent activities.
It was learnt that the ongoing investigations into the 16/6 bombing in Abuja showed that three suspected suicide bombers died in the incident, a situation that has compounded evidence gathering.
It was gathered that the manner in which the 16/6 bombing of the police headquarters was carried out fuelled suspicion among the security agencies that Boko Haram had “sympathisers in the agencies.”
A spokesman for the Boko Haram recently boasted that the group had members within the Armed Forces and the police.
The army had, however, dismissed the claim, saying it was an attempt to divide members of the forces.
But on June 3, 2011, a policeman was reported to have attempted to bomb the seventh floor of the Force Headquarters, where the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Hafiz Ringim, and other top police officers have their offices.
This raised the fear that the insurgent Islamic group had members operating in the security agencies.
On Tuesday, the Nigerian Army was also said to have begun the trial of seven soldiers, who last year aided the escape of 100 Boko Haram suspects from the Bauchi and Maiduguri prisons.
Investigations by SATURDAY PUNCH showed that following the police headquarters bombing, security agencies were no more dismissing the conspiracy theory.
A top security source told one of our correspondents that investigators were working on many possibilities.
He said, “We’re not dismissing the collusion theory. From all indications, the group is likely to have members in the security forces. The manner in which the June 16 bombing was carried out lends credence to this.”
Besides the fear of infiltration, the inability of the police to track down the sponsors of the terror group has exacerbated the confusion in the force, which initially said that the 16/6 bombing, where eight people died, was suicide bombing before it recanted through the IG on Wednesday that it wasn’t so.
However, Saturday punch gathered on good authority on Friday that at the meeting between the President and the security agencies on Tuesday, Jonathan directed the security agencies – including the State Security Service and the police – to start exchanging information as a way to combat the Boko Haram menace, which has become more persistent and brazen since the 2011 general elections last April.
“The President is concerned that Boko Haram has consistently beaten the police and other security network,” he added.
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