Security
Exclusive: Boko Haram Plotting Prison Break – Military
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Exclusive: Boko Haram Plotting Prison Break – Military
By William Henry
The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, has revealed that some recently arrested Boko Haram terrorists in the northeast planned attacks from the prison in connivance with prison warders.
The CDS said about 73 unmanned forests had been taken over by bandits.
He called for the extradition of Simon Ekpa, the self-acclaimed leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), from his operational base in Finland.
Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar, decried the rising cost of aviation fuel, saying it is hindering the war against terrorism in the country.
The IGP, Kayode Egbetokun, lamented that the police were operating in a difficult environment, stressing that the current manpower in the police is grossly inadequate, and the criminals also know this.
Gen. Musa stated, “The issue of correctional facilities. In the northeast, when we were debriefing some of the arrested Boko Haram, they were able to tell us how, from the prison, they could plan operations out in the field. They pass funds across.
“They use some of the warders there. We are not saying all of them are corrupt. They use their accounts and the deal is that anyone whose account is used shares it 50/50. Those are the challenges.”
Musa lamented that media reportage in the country often glorified bandits and terrorists but demoralised soldiers.
He said, “Most times we think security is only the responsibility of security forces. I say no, everybody has a responsibility to play.
“We can never be everywhere. So we need educational sensitisation programmes for all Nigerians to understand that security is everybody’s responsibility. What you see, you talk about it. You don’t just keep quiet and say that this is for the police or the army. Everybody has a role.
“We need to have a system, where we can train from schools, from primary school, where Nigerians can be made to understand they need to take ownership of security. The awareness will be made easier.”
