•High ranked insurgent leader Muhammed Sani spotted
•Terrorists’ number, superior fire-power overwhelmed security – Minister
•Fed Govt declares fleeing inmates wanted
•Buhari summons emergency security meeting
It has now been revealed that six alleged top financiers of Boko Haram and ISWAP were among the inmates set free by the terrorists who invaded the Kuje Correctional Centre, Abuja on Tuesday night, The Nation gathered yesterday.
Security sources described the alleged financiers as sponsors of the two terrorist organisations.
It will be recalled that Sixty-nine fleeing inmates of the facility were declared wanted by the authorities yesterday while President Muhammadu Buhari held an emergency meeting with his chief security advisers to review the attack.
Police Affairs Minister Maigari Dingyadi told reporters at the end of the meeting that the invaders overpowered the minimal security presence at the facility as a result of their large number and superior fire power.
The six Boko Haram and ISWAP suspected financers were in the group of 48 leaders spotted by the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) and subsequently arrested by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA).
One of the escapees is Muhammed Sani rated as the second in command in the Boko Haram hierarchy.
Security sources believe he is more powerful than the symbolic Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, who was killed in a battle with ISWAP in Sambisa Forest in May 2021.
The remaining ‘deadly leaders’ taken away from the correctional centre were identified as Yusuf Ali Yusuf, Mansur Usman, Zakari Nabil, Sadiq Garba Abubakar and Yazid Usman.
A source familiar with the development said: “Strong indications pointed to the fact that these six were among a group of 48 leaders arrested by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) based on financial intelligence analysis conducted by the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU).
“The 48 leaders were arrested out of the 93 the Unit recommended that their arrest would help in reducing the activities of both Boko Haram and ISWAP in the North East.
“Upon their arrest, terrorism was weakened considerably and more than 30,000 of Boko Haram /ISWAP active members surrendered to the Borno State Government for reintegration and de-radicalization.”
Profiling Muhammed Sani, the source rated him as the second person of substance to Boko Haram by Intelligence analysis.
“According to some leaks, Intelligence officers placed Abubakar Shekau who was the media face of the organisation in number 32,” the source said.
It was gathered that the presidency had directed the military, intelligence and security agencies to be on Red Alert.
A government source confirmed the development, saying: “The presidential directive to the military, intelligence and security agencies was to curtail likely challenges or resurgence in areas that used to experience attacks and in all parts of the country.
“I think surveillance will be heightened in public places, highways and soft targets such as schools and open markets.”
Consequently, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command yesterday announced that no vehicle would be allowed at any Eid praying grounds in Abuja during today’s Sallah prayers.
The Commissioner of Police, FCT, CP Babaji Sunday, said the measure was in pursuance of the common resolve to beef-up security.
Besides, the Command will intensify “robust stop and search operations, high level visibility policing patrols and surveillance of places of worship, parks, recreational centres and residential areas, and prompt response to any distress calls from across the FCT.”
Spokesperson for the command, DSP Josephine Adeh, said: “Muslim faithful who might wish to observe the Eid prayer at the National Eid praying ground along the Airport Road are to note that there’s enough space to admit everyone inside the praying ground.
“Worshipers are therefore advised to pray inside and avoid praying on the expressway in order to ensure orderliness and proper traffic management. Complementarily, there will also be traffic diversions on the Dantata Bridge from 7:00 -10:00am.
“In the same vein, vehicles will not be allowed to park in front of the praying ground both on the expressway and the service lane.
“At all other praying grounds within the FCT, no vehicle will be permitted to park 200 metres close to the praying grounds. Worshipers and residents are therefore advised to cooperate with police officers deployed strictly for enforcement.”
The CP added that tactical and intelligence assets of the command have been strategically deployed across the nooks and crannies of the territory to nip in the bud any crime or threat to lives of property of residents.
Briefing reporters yesterday at the end of an emergency security meeting summoned by President Buhari to review the Kuje Custodial Centre attack, Police Affairs Minister Maigari Dingyadi said the terrorists overpowered the minimal security presence at the facility as a result of their large number and superior fire-power.
But he also said the security operatives on ground killed some of the terrorists.
“You see, this kind of things, they happen and I want to assure you all those who are supposed to play a role in ensuring that the attack is neutralised did the best that they could to neutralise it,” Dingyadi said in response to a reporter’s question on why the terrorists could not be stopped.
He added: “I think what helped them was the number of people they came with and the superior weapons they came with.
“And because nobody anticipated it, the few people could not withstand the number that they came with. I think that’s what happened.
“Some of them (terrorists) were killed. But I can’t give you the number and I don’t know the number. Because like they always do, whenever one of them is killed, they take him away and you cannot know the number of people who have been killed. But definitely, quite a number of them were killed and many of them ran way with bullet wounds.”
He said investigation into the incident was continuing, adding: “Like I said, this investigation is still going on. You will only do good to allow the investigation to continue and maybe by the time they finish, you will be able to get the details of what actually happened and why it happened.
“The investigations have already commenced. What I said is that Mr. President has given clear directive to service chiefs to ensure that what happened in Kuje does not reoccur.
“Even when the President went to Kuje, he raised the surprise there. He expressed surprise as to how it happened. And that is why he quickly convened this meeting.
“Mr. President has been briefed and he has assured the nation that he is on top of the situation. Whatever is supposed to be done is going to be done and is being done to ensure that those of them that are not yet back are brought back to the Correctional Center.
“And like I said, the security agencies are investigating to find out the immediate and remote causes of what happened, how it happened, whether there is any cause for taking punitive measures against those who are supposed to be…these things will be determined by the outcome of the investigations, which I believe will very soon.”
On the deadline for the investigation, the Police Minister simply said: “As soon as possible. You see, we have raised this issue at the meeting and we know Nigerians are eager to know the actions that are going to be taken.
“But you see some of these things are security issues. We do not need to give out the details of what we are going to do. But we will just assure Nigerians that we’re on top of the situation. And we will be doing the needful.”
In his opening address at the briefing, the Police Minister affirmed that President Buhari was surprised at the manner of attack despite the security measures in place.
“Mr. President had directed that we hold today’s Security Council meeting to review the situation of security in the country particularly as it relates to insecurity issues that have happened in the last few weeks.
“We are talking about the Kuje jail break that arose as a result of the attacks on the Correctional Centre by terrorists as well as the banditry attack that took place in Katsina around the same time, as well as the various attacks on Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State.
“Mr. President was deeply concerned about these developments. And he initiated this meeting to enable security agencies, the service chiefs, Inspector General of Police to brief the council on what actually happened and the way forward.
“We had a very successful meeting and the council has agreed to take proactive measures that will ensure that a repeat of what happened this few days would not be witnessed anymore.
“Mr. President is surprised that what happened to Kuje actually took place in spite of all the security arrangement that has been made to ensure that such an incident does not happen.
“We are assuring the nation and Nigerians in general that arrangements have been made to ensure that full investigations are carried out to ensure that a repeat of these incidents will not occur.
“The service chiefs have been given very clear directives to ensure that adequate measures are taken not only to investigate what happened but also to take steps to forestall the reoccurrence of such incidents.
“We call on Nigerians to continue to support the federal government in its effort to ensure that we fight criminalities to finish and to ensure that this country is brought back to normalcy in a more secure and a more peaceful atmosphere.
“We are moving toward 2023, and government is committed to ensuring that there’s peace, tranquility to ensure a very credible and a peaceful and transparent elections in Osun State come early next week,” he said.
The meeting was attended by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; Secretary to the Government of the Federation Boss Mustapha; the Chief of Staff to the President Professor Ibrahim Gambari and the National Security Adviser (NSA) Major General Babagana Monguno (rtd).
Also present were the ministers of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola; Police Affairs Maigari Dingyadi; Defence Maj. Gen. Bashir Magashi (rtd.); and Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.
Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Farouk Yahaya; and the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Isiaka Oladayo Amao were also in attendance.
Also in attendance were the Inspector-General of Police, Alkali Baba Usman; the Director-General of the Department of State Service (DSS), Yusuf Bichi; and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ahmed Rufai Abubakar.
Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo was represented at the meeting.
Interior Minister Rauf Aregbesola, who was outside the country during the attack, was at the Custodial Centre yesterday to assess the situation.
He vowed that the terrorists would not live to tell the story.
Aregbesola, whose ministry is in charge of correctional centres across the country, was disappointed that the security agents detailed to protect the facility could not do better than they did during the invasion.
He described the way and manner the terrorists operated almost unchallenged for hours as strange, asserting that the elite Corps of the nation’s security architecture were in the facility to ward off such attacks.
He said: “We have a world class custodial facility here by any standard of it. I am disappointed by the level of defence that the team that was put here to protect the facility.
“We have enough men and officers to protect this facility but unfortunately they could not hold their position effectively for defence and that was the reason for the breach
“We have spoken to ourselves on what happened and most of what we said could not be in the open. My position is so clear: I have declared since April 2021 that all our custodial facilities are red zones and that whoever attempts an attack or adversarial action against our facility must be suicidal…must not live to tell the story. And I still maintain that.
“I do not shy away from it. I still believe that anybody with the intention of breaching our facility should presume that he is dead.”
The Minister described the Kuje Correctional Centre as about the most fortified facility in Nigeria, noting that “if fortification for security is determinant of whether it is medium or maximum, it is medium by size but maximum by the security provided.
“We have a platoon of military officers and men deployed here…that’s the fighting wing of the army in the most sophisticated battle. So what are you talking about? We have here the highest grade of military, police and other security forces for deployment for protection.
“But strangely, something happened most of which I cannot say on camera.”
He said the inmates who escaped “can only run but cannot hide.
