Buhari’s bomber dressed like woman, nabbed
Chris Agbambu - Abuja
A man suspected to be connected with the Wednesday explosion targeted at former Head of State, General Muhammadu Buhari, has been arrested by soldiers. He was arrested disguised as a woman, even wearing a brassiere.
The defence headquarters confirmed the arrest on Friday in a statement posted on its website, defenceinfo.mil.ng.
The statement said that the young man, in his early 20s, was apprehended by a military patrol team that swooped on the area immediately after the explosion.
According to the Defence headquarters, the suspect “ disguised as a woman clad in a female garb to exude femininity with a brassiere affixed to his chest.
“The suspect was arrested while trying to disappear into a crowd of onlookers when the patrol team arrived the scene.
“Youths in the area attempted to mob him while he was being arrested but were restrained by troops who quickly whisked him away in an armoured personnel carrier,’’ Defence headquarters explained further.
The statement said that the suspected was currently being interrogated by security agencies in a bid to ascertain his links to the deadly incident.
Anti-Terrorism: FG places order for 40 Attack, Transport Helicopters
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has placed purchase orders for 40 military helicopters from the United States and Russia.
A defence source informed the press on Friday that the purchase was “in a determined effort to eliminate terrorism by routing insurgents from their hideouts in parts of the North East and North West once and for all.”
Some of the helicopters, the source said, “will arrive in the country early next month while the remaining will be received certainly before the end of the year to boost the Nigerian Airforce.
“Some military and other security forces are currently frustrated about their inability to storm the notorious Sambisa Forest where Boko Haram militants are keeping the abducted Chibok secondary school girls and also serving as operational headquarters of the group. This is because security operatives are not only aware of the locations of the girls but are also closely monitoring the way that the girls are being moved around but are afraid of the backlash should any harm befall the girls in the course of a forced rescue.
“Past incidents during attempts to rescue British and Italian nationals in Sokoto and SETRACO workers which boomeranged are the reasons that the security forces have been reluctant in storming the forest and rescuing the girls.
“I wish we could have a consensus of opinion from Nigerians that we should storm the forest and rescue the girls. The day Nigerians decide that enough is enough in one voice, to clear the forest, it will take less than one week to accomplish that task,” the top security source stated.
He added that security forces had «succeeded in ridding Zamfara, Kaduna, Jigawa and part of Bauchi states of Fulani cattle rustlers. These have been completely eliminated”, the source declared.
The source stressed that Damboa which has lately come under terrorists attacks would soon be rescued and freed explaining that “a special unit of terrorism forces has just been trained under an international agreement and is ready to be fully deployed to volatile and prone areas of terrorism activities.
“Let me tell you some communities are peculiar in the war on terror as some of their residents supported Boko Haram in the ambush and attacks on our troops. In the past, they gathered at a square to cheer the insurgents whenever a military personnel was captured and was being murdered. Young ones iport activities of these devils because giving them support is like dining with the devil or simply riding on the back of the tiger as they now turn against them. That was why some soldiers were reluctant to lay down their lives in some communities where innocent troops who were out to protect them were being misled for ambush. The situation is changing now as community leaders and youths are supporting the military offensives.” the source declared.
Airforce boss meets air crash victims
The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Adesola Amosu has commended the gallantry of the officers who survived the helicopter crash in Borno State.
The Air Chief, who gave the commendation while receiving the officers who survived the air crash in Maiduguri thanked God for sparing their lives and commiserated with them on the loss of their colleague in the flight. He assured them of the support of Government and the Nigerian Air Force to the bereaved family.
Air Marshal Amosu has also paid a condolence visit to the family of late Flight Lieutenant Nwakile in Kano.
Meanwhile, the officers who survived the helicopter crash are recuperating after the medical treatment given them on rejoining their units after the crash.
IGP probes attack
The Inspector-General of Police, MD Abubakar, has set up a high-powered investigation team to unearth the perpetrators of the recent bomb attack in Kaduna in which thirty-nine (39) Nigerians lost their lives while thirty-seven (37)
In the bomb blast last Wednesday several people were injured, while a former Head of State, General Mohammadu Buhari and the respected Islamic cleric, Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi narrowly escaped being hurt.
Force spokesman ACP Frank Mba said that the team of investigators, which is expected to work in close collaboration with other security agencies, is headed by the Commissioner of Police in charge of Legal Department, DCP Nwodibo Ekechukwu.
Other members of the team include: DCP Chris Ezike of the Federal SARS, DCP Dan Mallam of the Monitoring Unit and DCP Adeyemi Ogunjemilusi of the Interpol Unit and others.
He added that, the IGP has ordered security to be tightened in all states of the federation, particularly in the states perceived to be more vulnerable to terror attacks.
While appealing to all Nigerians, particularly Kaduna residents to remain calm, the IGP called on the citizens to cooperate with the security agencies by providing them with relevant information to solve the crime
Nigerian Tribune
