There are strong indications that members of the
Somalia militant sect, Al-Shabab, aided Boko Haram militants in carrying out
the attack on Nyanya Motor Park seven days ago.
The PUNCH’s investigations
on Sunday also revealed that Al-Shabab, which has strong links with Al-Qaeda,
had moved from providing technical assistance to Boko Haram to fighting
alongside insurgents in some parts of the North-East.
It was gathered that security agencies received
intelligence reports that Al-Shabab, which carried out the West Gate Mall
attack in Kenya, was planning an attack in Abuja.
A top military source, who confided in
one of our correspondents, said the information was received two weeks before
the March 31, 2014 attempted jailbreak at the Yellow House headquarters of the
Department of State Security Service in Abuja.
Investigations revealed that operatives were still
trying to verify the claim that the jailbreak might be an Al-Shabab’s idea when
the Nyanya Park blast occurred.
Our source said, “We received the information two
weeks before the attempted jailbreak at the headquarters of the Department of
State Services in Abuja.
“What we got was that those who carried out the
Kenyan Mall attack were up to something in Abuja.
“So when the jailbreak at the SSS occurred, we
thought that could be their mission to the country.
“What happened on Monday last week seems to suggest
that they had a hand in it because we had the information two weeks before that
foiled jailbreak.”
Another security source, who also spoke with The PUNCH on the condition of anonymity because
he was not authorised to do so, said that Nigerian
soldiers, during some of their operations against Boko Haram, had killed some
foreigners suspected to be members of Al-Shabab.
He said that “the support of Al-Shabab and Al-Qaeda
for Boko Haram, until recently, was initially restricted to providing technical
assistance such as training as well as arms and ammunition.”
The source stated that the revelations were
considered interesting by the military since they would aid in
planning for future operations.
He said, “All along, we had been suspecting the
hand of international terror organisations in the fight; most of the patterns
of these attacks indicated their involvement.
“This could be a confirmation; it could be an
interesting confirmation which will help in our subsequent approach to the
strategy of managing this issue.
“I can confirm to you that several of such
foreigners with strange features have been killed.”
The United Kingdom Daily Star had quoted security sources as saying last Tuesday that a
British-born Al-Shabab operative, Samantha Lewthwaite, might have had a hand
in the Nyanya attack to avenge the killing of Al-Shabab’s terror leader,
Makaburi (aka Sheikh Abubakar Ahmed), a fortnight ago by the
Kenyan Anti-terror Police Unit.
Makaburi said to belong to the top hierarchy of the
terror organisation, was believed to be the one who introduced
Lewthwaite to the leadership of Al-Shabab.
It was reported that the top terror suspect
whose husband, Germain Lindsay, carried out the bombing of a London tube train
that killed 56 people in 2005
wanted revenge for the killing of Makaburi.
“The white widow wanted revenge for the killing of
her mentor, terror chief Sheikh Ahmed,” a security source was
quoted as having said.
The woman, said to be on the run in Africa with
three children since January 2012, is one of the most wanted persons on
Interpol’s list.
She is wanted in relation with seven murders and
the attack on the West Gate Shopping Mall which resulted in the
death of 67 people last year.
Boko Haram had boasted that it was merging with
al-Shabab and Al-Qaeda, to form an impregnable terror network.
The United States Africom Commander, Gen. Carter
Ham, was quoted as saying that terror groups like Boko Haram, al-Shabab and
al-Qaeda were joining forces to carry out coordinated attacks on Africa.
The groups were said to be sharing funds,
explosives and having training sessions.
Although the SSS, said it was not aware of
Lewthwaite’s involvement in the Nyanya attack, it added that it would welcome
any information that could assist security agencies to fish out the
perpetrators.
Its Deputy Director, Public Relations, SSS, Marilyn
Ogar, said, “I am not aware of the woman’s involvement in the blast; but
we welcome every genuine information and tips that could assist security
agencies to apprehend those behind it.”
Reacting to the belief that al-Shabab was fighting
along with Boko Haram, a former Commissioner of Police, Abubakar Tsav, said
such would compound the crisis in Nigeria.
He advised that such collaboration should not be
treated with levity.
Tsav, who lamented the inability of the military to
tame the terrorists, lamented that Boko Haram had “grown from strength to
strength” despite the military campaigns against it.
He said,”If it is true that a foreign terrorist
group is collaborating with Boko Haram to attack Nigeria, such a partnership
will compound our problems because the government has not taken effective
action against Boko Haram.”
-Punch
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