Boko Haram: Embassies, High Commissions tighten security

Andrew Lloyd and Terence McCulley

The fear of the insurgent group, Boko Haram, has become the beginning of wisdom for many, including foreign missions, which have been forced to review their security measures, reports AUGUSTINE EHIKIOYA   

FOR over a decade, the Public Affairs Section of the Consulate-General of the American Embassy in Lagos operated from Broad Street, Lagos Island. It shared a compound with a construction giant. It daily welcomed members of the public to use its library facility, aside playing host to programmes which attracted people from all walks of life.

But late last year, the office was relocated to the Walter Carrington Crescent facilities of the American Consulate-General.

The relocation coincided with a major bomb attack by the dreaded Boko Haram insurgent group, whose activities have led to the death of over 500 people.

It is not only the Americans that have been made to review their security measures by the group, others have taken a cue too. Getting into the embassies and high commissions are like trying to access a desert on water!

 The immediate past Inspector General of Police (IGP), Hafiz Ringim, last year narrowly escaped death when a suicide bomber from the sect drove right behind him into the Force Headquarter in Abuja and detonated a bomb, which claimed some lives and destroyed many cars and property.

He was retired last month when a Boko Haram suspect, who was said to have masterminded the Christmas day bomb blast at St. Theresa Catholic Church, Madalla, Suleja, Niger State dramatically escaped from  custody.

 The United Nations (UN) was not left out of the evil attacks of the sect as the UN Headquarters in Abuja was attacked on August 26, 2011.  25 persons died. The massive explosion also destroyed a substantial part of the building.  

While no day goes by without an attack by the sect in Borno State, other northern states that have experienced the havoc of Boko Haram include Yobe, Bauchi, Adamawa, Niger, Plateau, Gombe, Kano and Kaduna.

For the  attacks in Yobe in November 2011 and in Kano State last month, it was feared that over 250 persons in each state died from the sect’s bomb blasts and shootings.

Attempt by the sect’s suicide bomber in military uniform to cause massive devastation in the highly fortified Army’s 1st Division’s Dalek Barrack in Kaduna on  February 7 was halted as the military personnel succeeded in blowing up the suicide bomber before reaching his target.  

Its leader, Abubakar Shekau, in a audio recording posted on YouTube last month, had warned that the radical group would continue the attacks until the country becomes an Islamic state.

This development has made virtually all the embassies and high commissions in Nigeria to fortify their security outfits.

 To safe guide the lives of their citizens in Nigeria, some of the foreign missions have also issued series of travel warnings to their nationals.  

The United States Embassy in Nigeria in November last year in the wake of the sect’s attacks in Damaturu, Yobe State and Maiduguri, Borno State warned that it had uncovered a plot by the sect to attack three luxury hotels frequented by foreigners in Abuja, including Transcorp Hilton, Sheraton and NICON Luxury hotels.

Despite the authority’s claims that it is on top of the situation, the US Embassy urged its citizens to stay away from the three hotels, even as the embassy’s Spokeswoman, Deb MacLean did not disclose the source of the information.

Also on December 30, 2011, another security warning was issued by the US Embassy asking its citizens to be wary of visiting churches, bars, hotels in eight states in the North.

 The warning reads: “The U.S. Embassy and Consulate General remind U.S. citizens visiting or residing in Nigeria to take extra precautions during the New Year holiday season to ensure your safety and security.”

“Violent extremist attacks have continued in various locations, including the states of Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano, Niger, Plateau, and Yobe, resulting in numerous casualties.  The most recent attacks took place on Christmas Day.

“U.S. citizens should remain particularly vigilant around churches and other places of worship, large gatherings, eating or drinking establishments, celebratory locations where large crowds may gather, and areas frequented by expatriates and foreign travelers during the upcoming holiday season, including hotels, markets, and malls.”

“You should review your personal security plans, remain aware of your surroundings, including local events, monitor local news stations for updates, and report specific incidents of targeted violence to the U.S. Embassy in Abuja or the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos.”

The British High Commission, in its own warning,  said: “If you are a resident British national, you should follow your employer’s local security guidelines. In addition: You must be vigilant at all times and make sure that your local host and family know your travel plans and timings.”

“You should register with the British Deputy High Commission in Lagos on arrival (see the General (Registration) section of this Travel Advice). Limit your movements to only essential journeys. Vary your routines. If travelling by road you should only travel in fully protected transport and aim to complete your journey well before nightfall.”

“Keep your car doors locked and windows closed and maintain telephone or radio communications to report your movements. You should consider permanent armed protection, but be aware that even this cannot guarantee your safety.”

 Other foreign missions which issued similar warnings to their citizens include Canadian High Commission and Ireland.

To end the act of terrorism in Nigeria, many countries and the United Nations have pledged their support and assistance to the  government.

 Last month, the US Deputy Assistant Secretary for African Affairs, Mr. William Fitzgerald at the end of a two day Regional Security Cooperation Working Group meeting under the US-Nigeria Bi-National Commission (BNC) in Abuja pledged the support of US to boost operational capabilities of Nigeria’s security services.

The key areas of collaboration, he said, include training, intelligence sharing, modernisation of the security services and logistics.

The European Union (EU) on Wednesday agreed with the authorities to engage experts towards tackling the Boko Hram insurgency in the Northern part of Nigeria.

 Nigerians and foreigners can obviously not wait to see the end of  Boko Haram. It has been a hell living with the insurgency.