Nigerian Army beefs up security in Abuja over threat of Boko Haram attack

Buratai said the move follows intelligence reports that revealed a fresh plan by members of the Boko-Haram terrorists group to launch another attack on the nation’s capital.

The Nigerian Army has announced that it has put new security measures in place in Abuja to protect hotels and national infrastructures and assets which are usually targets of terrorists in the Federal Capital Territory.

Daily Sun reports that this was revealed by Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai while receiving Valentine Ozigbo, the managing director and Chief Executive Officer of Transcorp Hotel in his office on Tuesday, March 7.

Buratai said the move follows intelligence reports that revealed a fresh plan by members of the Boko-Haram terrorists group to launch another attack on the nation’s capital.

The COAS said the new security arrangement for the hotel was necessary because of the high profile visitor like foreign heads of states and other very important personalities who usually stay in the hotel and because hotels like Transcorp and other five stars hotels as well as other national assets are usually easy targets of terrorist because of the crowd that troop into such places on a daily basis.

Buratai said the Army is working round the clock with other security agencies in the FCT to ensure the terrorists do not have easy access into the nation’s capital.

Soldiers, he said, have been deployed to keep security at such places and other army intelligence officers in plain clothes are also around to ensure safety and security.

On his part, Ozigbo commended the Army for responding promptly to issues concerning Transcorp and called for collaboration between the two organizations.

Meanwhile, according to SimonAteba.com, a Cameroonian news website, a bombing took place in Magdeme area in the country’s far north, not that far from the border Cameroon shares with Nigeria.

The bombing which fortunately did not claim any other lives but that of the bomber suggests that the Boko Haram insurgency is not only affecting Nigeria, but is affecting other countries.