TOYOSI OGUNSEYE
Terrorists behind the rash of bombings in the North have a
game-changer, as they plan to replace the Improvised Explosive Devices
with rocket launchers and rocket-propelled grenades, investigation
revealed on Friday.
Consequently, massive importations of these high-calibre weapons are currently on.
RPGs are explosive projectile weapons used by insurgents to attack or
destroy targets from long distances, while rocket launchers are devices
that are used to propel missiles or explosives from long ranges.
It was gathered that their planned adoption of this new strategy would help them evade arrests by security agents.
A security operative said these weapons could be shot from long
distances, thereby giving attackers sufficient time to escape, just as
they could cause great havoc on their targets.
Many of the rocket launchers, our correspondent gathered, were smuggled into the country across the porous borders in the North.
Confirming that massive rocket launchers are in the country
illegally, spokesman of the police, Frank Mba, in an exclusive
interview, described it as a “worrisome development.”
He said, “We are aware of the presence of rocket launchers and I assure you that we are not sleeping.
“I cannot give you details of all we are doing, but I can
authoritatively say we are doing all we can to cut off their supply
chain.”
Mba further said the country was receiving immense international
support from Economic Community of West African states and beyond.
“I can tell you that all the Joint Task Force discoveries were made
possible through international support; they were not by chance. The
discoveries were made possible through deliberate, conscious
intelligence gathering from outside the country.
“To tell you how far our international cooperation has reached, the
Inspector-General of Niger Republic was in Nigeria a few days ago where
he had fruitful meeting with our IG, Mohammed Abubakar.
“Also, the hierarchy of the INTERPOL, the world’s largest police
organisation, have been having meeting with us in the past few weeks.
“This shows that even though we are worried, the good news is that
the support from home and abroad is helping us face these security
challenges.”
The Nigerian Immigration Service had earlier told SUNDAY PUNCH that
the number of unapproved routes into the country were not known, making
it extremely difficult for security agencies to track illegal aliens
moving in and out of the country.
The NIS Public Relations Officer, Mr. Joachim Olumba, had said, “One
fact that is undeniable is that our borders are porous. And many people
think it is because security agents collect money and allow people to
enter the country without proper documentation.
“But the problem is basically the fact that the structure of our borders makes effective policing absolutely difficult.
“We are talking about over 4000km land borders and over 800km borders
along the ocean. In some places, these border areas are mountainous; in
some places, they are in the jungle. There are countless illegal routes
into the country,” he said.
An anti-terrorism official with the Nigeria Police Force told our
correspondent that the attempt to use rocket weapons by terrorists was
the latest challenge security operatives were battling with.
He said, “We are not in war. Why are these people bringing rocket
launchers into this country? Rocket launchers are used in only wars!
What do they want to turn Nigeria into? We are still contending with
Improvised Explosive Devices and now this.
“Unfortunately, there are too many porous and illegal borders in this
country. In Adamawa alone, there are about 25 illegal routes into
Nigeria from neighbouring countries.
“They have been sneaking the rockets in and even though we don’t have
a figure, it is quite substantial. And when they can’t bring the
rockets in through the border, they may connive with unscrupulous
officials at the border to bring them in through the ports.
“The use of rocket grenades and launchers allows them run away before
we get there. Some of the launchers can go as far as 900m.”
Speaking on the source of the military weapons, the highly-placed
source said “extremist Arab countries” were supplying the weapons to
terrorists in Nigeria.
“It is no longer news that the Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb have
penetrated this country and we can easily tell where these rockets are
coming from.
“We don’t have the sophistication to manufacture these war weapons. Iran, Yemen, Syria, Libya and others are suppliers.”
Just last Monday, 10 RPGs and other sophisticated weapons were
recovered at the Nigeria-Chad boundary in Borno State by the Joint-Task
Force.
JTF spokesman, Lt. Col. Sagir Musa, had said the weapons were
recovered following a gun battle which left some gunmen dead in Daban
Masara border town.
The following day, JTF on Operation Restore Order, said it
intercepted more rocket launchers, rocket bombs and AK 47 rifles being
transported by suspected terrorists to Maiduguri, capital of Borno
State.
Two suspected terrorists who accompanied the arms were killed in the Monguno Local Government Area of the state.
Musa said the arms were concealed in a blue Toyota Hilux vehicle going towards Maiduguri.
“The arms included eight rocket launchers, 10 rocket bombs, 10 rocket chargers, two AK 47 rifles and 13 magazines,” he said.
Similarly, on April 5, 2012, security operatives seized 51 rocket launchers in a house in Barunde area of Gombe metropolis.
Director of SSS in Gombe State, Mr. Bitrus Asha, who conducted
journalists round the ‘factory’ said, “Apart from the rocket launchers,
48 bags of fertiliser, sulphuric acid and cortex items were recovered.
Other items recovered were detonators, remote control devices, different
types of chemicals, six containers for preparation of IEDs and other
items.”
The weapons have also found their way to the South-West as rocket launchers were recovered from a robbery gang in April.
Operatives of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Lagos, said two
rocket launchers; a grenade and a General Multipurpose Machine Gun were
among the arms recovered from the gang that specialised in bank raids.
A combined team of security operatives had in October 2010,
intercepted 13 containers laden with arms and ammunition including
rocket launchers, cartridges and hand grenades at the A P Moller
Terminals in Apapa.
The Apapa Area Customs Controller then, Abdulkadir Azerema, had said
the contents of the containers were not declared before they were
intercepted.
The first container that was opened by the various security agencies
that carried out examinations discovered 24 crates of rocket launchers
and other weapon of mass destruction.
The containers with numbers 7869612, 7827707, 7868370, 7869356,
7870064, 7866819, 7868318, 7868771, 7866676, 9478240, 7868431, 1301980
and 7869464, were suspected to have been shipped from Iran.
The Federal Government later arrested and arraigned an Iranian, Azim
Aghajani, and three Nigerians, for arms trafficking before an Abuja
Chief Magistrate Court in November, 2010.
Nigeria reported the seizure of the shipment to the UN Security Council for possible sanctions against Iran.
According to the United States Department of State Country Reports on
Terrorism 2011, the Boko Haram insurgent group killed 590 people last
year.
At a briefing last Tuesday, Coordinator, Office of the Coordinator
for Counterterrorism, Daniel Benjamin, said Africa experienced 978
terrorist attacks, with Nigeria alone accounting for about 20 per cent.
The report said Boko Haram was more vicious in 2011 than in 2010.
