Attempted Jailbreak: Our bloody war with B’Haram detainees —DSS
*21 terrorists killed, two operatives injured
Vanguard on March 31, 2014
ABUJA— The Department of State Service, DSS , confirmed, yesterday, that 21 Boko Haram suspects were killed in a shoot-out at its detention centre between its operatives and the sect members.
DSS said two of its operatives sustained serious injuries.
The detained terrorists reportedly over-powered the guards, shot several operatives and attempted to stage a daring escape from detention.
There were, however, different accounts on how the attempted jailbreak was carried out.
Meanwhile, Presidential spokesman, Reuben Abati, denied reports, yesterday, that President Goodluck Jonathan was whisked away during the attempted jailbreak and shootout.
How B’Haram overpowered DSS operative
According to a security source, one of the Boko Haram members told one of the DSS guards that he was pressed and needed to go to the toilet. The sect member’s request was obliged without being leg-chained. On getting to the toilet and finding the door locked, he applied force and uprooted the toilet seat unknown to the operative who was standing outside.
When the detainee knocked the door to indicate that he had finished, the DSS the operative opened the door, only to have his head smashed with the heavy toilet seat.
The operative was said to have collapsed. The sect member then collected the gun of the operative, went to the cell entrance and opened fire on the other operatives who were caught off-guard and set free many of his colleagues.
The source said it was the shooting at the DSS centre that alerted other operatives who mobilised to take on the sect members, leading to serious shoot-out between the terrorists and the operatives for over an hour before security was re-enforced and soldiers drafted to the scene.
Another account
Another account of the incident had it that trouble started around 6 a.m. during the normal handing and taking over of duties by DSS detainees’ handlers.
Vanguard learnt that the shoot-out erupted when some of the suspected terrorists attempted to free their members and leave the detention facility, which is by the precincts of the Presidential Villa.
A competent source said as soon as one handler opened the gate leading to the cell where the detainees were being kept, 10 suspected terrorists rushed out, snatched the handler’s rifle and used it to shoot at him.
Alerted by the attack, some DSS handlers were reported to have retreated so as not to be killed by the rampaging suspected terrorists. The source said after shooting the first handler, the 10 suspected terrorists began to escape into different locations within the massive security compound.
Alarmed by the effrontery of the suspected terrorists, the DSS quickly deployed its men to quell the uprising, resulting in heavy shooting that claimed the lives of some of the suspects.
Many DSS operatives and Boko Haram detainees were also injured in the ensuing stampede.
The shot DSS operative, whose name could not be immediately ascertained, was immediately rushed to an undisclosed hospital. A source said the shot operative was in a critical condition but had not died.
DSS commences probe
It was learnt that the DSS, which is highly embarrassed by the incident, has begun investigation into why the detainees handler decided to go and open the cell gate alone without being accompanied by others, as is the standard practice.
According to the source, “the whole episode occurred between 6:30 am and 7am on Sunday during the normal hand-over and take-over of detainees.
“The standard rule is that you cannot go alone to open the gate leading to the detainees’ cell but as soon as the man opened the gate, he was attacked and he tried to run away and was shot. The shot operative has been taken to hospital.”
The uprising led to the deployment of soldiers to the DSS Headquarters and around the Presidential Villa.
Situation under control —DSS
Spokeswoman for the DSS, Marylyn Ogar, confirmed the attempted jailbreak which she said had been stalled by security agents.
She said: “What happened was that the suspects’ handler went to feed the detainees but suddenly they attacked him with their handcuffs, disarmed him and started shooting.”
They are convicted terrorists
It was also gathered that the detained Boko Haram men, who confronted operatives of the DSS in a bid to free themselves, were prisoners already convicted for terrorism.
A security source said the prisoners were taken to the DSS headquarters for security reasons.
The source, who declined to be quoted because he had not been authorised to speak on the matter, said the DSS opted to keep the condemned terrorists in its facilities to prevent them from escaping from normal prison custody.
2 DSS operatives injured
Another statement issued by the spokesperson of the organisation, Mrs. Marilyn Ogar, said two operatives of the service who sustained serious injuries have been hospitalised.
Her words: “Following our earlier releases, it has been established that 18 casualties were recorded, while two service personnel sustained serious injuries. Three other detainees who sustained gun shot injuries during the incident have also died.”
At press time, the entire road linking the DSS headquarters, Presidential Villa, Mambilla Barracks, Niger Barracks, Guards Brigade headquarters and Lungi Barracks, have been cordoned off while bomb disposal experts of the army, K9 Dogs and other security agencies have been deployed to the area to join in containing the situation.
Heavily armed counter terrorism training soldiers and K9 Dogs, accompanied by DSS personnel were said to have entered inside the DSS headquarters with a view to flushing out the sect members who continued to shoot at operatives and arresting those that were unarmed.
Increase in helicopter patrol
An increased security presence was put in place at all the gates leading to the presidential villa with more armed personnel drafted in.
One of the two gates into the villa was shut down with only the entrance from the federal secretariat through the Supreme Court left open.
There was an increased helicopter patrol of Abuja airspace especially the three arms zone where the Presidential area is located.
Jonathan safe and well —Presidency
Speaking with Voice of America, VOA, yesterday, Abati who was reacting to eyewitness account suggesting that Jonathan was whisked away said: “It was an attempted jailbreak. Those arrested tried to make an attempt to escape, but the situation was immediately and effectively brought under control. We will want to reassure everyone that really there is no cause for alarm.
Some Nigerians expressed worry following the gunshots, since the DSS headquarters building is near the presidential villa. According to Abati, “The president is safe and well, and there is no cause for alarm. There are some persons who are trying to put up negative information trying to suggest that the president was whisked away. The truth of the matter is that there was no attack on the Presidential Villa.”
FG determined to end security challenges — Jonathan
Meanwhile, President Goodluck Jonathan, weekend, assured that the Federal Government had taken adequate measures to arrest the security challenges facing the country.
The President, who was represented by the Minister of Interior, Comrade Abba Moro, also acknowledged the incessant bloody conflict between Benue farmers and suspected Fulani herders, assured that the crisis will soon come to an end.
He spoke in Makurdi at the wedding ceremony/reception of the son of the Minister of State for Trade and Investment and Supervising Minister of Aviation, Dr. Samuel Ortom.
UK cautions citizens in Abuja
Meantime, the UK Foreign Office has advised British citizens in Abuja to maintain “heightened vigilance.”
The revised travel alert on Nigeria was posted on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) website on Sunday.
The travel alert advised British citizens to be especially vigilant “should they need to go to Asokoro or The Three Arms Zone in Abuja.”
MILITARY BATTLES BOKO HARAM AT SSS HQ •21 KILLED AS MILITARY BATTLES BOKO HARAM AT SSS HQ •VILLA NOT UNDER ATTACK –PRESIDENCY •MILITARY HELICOPTERS IN AIR SURVEILLANCE •SECURITY BEEFED UP AT TRANSCORP HILTON HOTEL, FORCE HQ, DEFENCE MINISTRY – Nigerian Tribune on 31 March, 2014 Heavy gunfire at SSS Headquarters – The Punch on MARCH 31, 2014
THERE was confusion in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), in the early hours of Sunday, as heavy gunfire rented the air inside the headquarters of the Directorate of the State Security Service (DSS), opposite the Presidential Villa, Aso Rock, following an attempted jail break by the detained members of the defiant Islamist extremists, known as Boko Haram.
A combined team of operatives of the DSS and men of the Guards Brigade, Nigerian Army, however, foiled the attempted jailbreak, while 21 of the suspected insurgents were reportedly killed and several others wounded, including some of the security operatives.
Nigerian Tribune gathered that following the confusion that ensued, all the gates of the Presidential Villa, DSS headquarters and roads in the Three Arms Zone were shut to human and vehicular movements, while armoured personnel carriers (APCs) were rolled out and military helicopters dispatched to the air for surveillance.
Security in the area and the entire capital city were also beefed up, as signals were reportedly sent to the residents of the Asokoro area to stay indoors while the confusion lasted, with armed security operatives embarking on search of the areas and the neighbourhoods.
Spokesperson of the DSS, Marilyn Ogar, in a statement made available to newsmen, dismissed fears of an external attack, but said some suspects within its detention facility tried to escape, having attacked one of its operatives.
She said gunshots from outside were those of soldiers trying to ward off any possible external collaborators, while she described the situation as an attempted jailbreak, saying it had been brought under control.
The Service said at about 7.15 a.m, an operative went to the detention facility within the headquarters to feed the suspects and “one of them attempted to disarm him by hitting him at the back of his head with his handcuff.”
According to her, the attempt to escape drew the attention of other guards at the facility, who fired some shots to warn and deter others.
She added that the gunshots attracted the attention of the military, with whom the DSS had an understanding of mutual assistance in the event of any threat.
“The army immediately deployed a team to reinforce our perimeter guards so as to forestall any external collaborators. The situation has since been brought under control,” she added.
Meanwhile, normalcy has retuned to the FCT as normal activities which were paralysed earlier in the day had resumed in full swing.
Villa not under attack –Presidency
THE Presidential Villa was calm on Sunday morning, even as reports intensified that military forces were involved in a battle to contain an attempted jailbreak staged by some detained suspected Boko Haram insurgents.
A visit to the Villa at about 12 noon showed that there was nothing unusual to suggest that the presidency was in a state of heightened security alert, as there was no noticeable increase in security presence around the area.
Security at the main gate adjacent to the Asokoro branch of the Nigerian Fire Service was normal, as there were about three SSS personnel who checked the identities of visitors before they were allowed to have access into the premises.
The SSS personnel were supported by about four armed soldiers who stood about 100 metres away from the checking point, ready to deal with any breach of security.
However, this was a normal occurence, as it was the same formation at the gate on a daily basis.
It was gathered that the normal Sunday service at the Aso Chapel, inside the Presidential Villa, held unhindered with full congregation.
Similarly, civilians resident around the Presidential Villa were also allowed to move in and out of their premises without let or hinderance.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati, when reached by the Nigerian Tribune, said the Villa was not attacked, adding that President Goodluck Jonathan was safe.
Abati said the reason people linked the incident at the SSS headquarters to the Villa was because of the proximity of the seat of power to the SSS headquarters, assuring that there was no cause for alarm.
“The situation was immediately brought under control. Nobody escaped, those who tried to escape were immediately rearrested. That was it,” he added.
The Presidential spokesman had earlier taken to Twitter to assure his followers that all was well in the presidency.
In a posting, he said “what happened at the SSS HQ this morning was an attempted jailbreak which has been effectively foiled.
There is no cause for alarm.”
Abati, in another posting, said “what happened at the SSS HQ has nothing to do with the Villa. President Jonathan is safe and well. Thank you for your concern and support.”
Security beefed up at Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Force HQ, Defence ministry
Security was beefed up on Sunday at Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, venue of ongoing seventh meeting of African Finance Ministers and other strategic locations in the FCT.
A correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) covering the African ministers’ meeting observed that additional security personnel had been deployed in the hotel.
The additional armed men, seen within the vicinity of the hotel, included soldiers, police and officers of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
The armed men were supported by sniffer dogs as they took positions within and outside the hotel.
Security was also beefed up in and around military and other security offices in Abuja on Sunday, following the attempted jailbreak.
On the Shehu Shagari Road, where the Force Headquarters is located, the area had been barricaded with APCs, same for the Ministry of Defence, Area 10, Garki, Abuja, at the time filing this report.
Also, all the roads leading to the DSS headquarters, Aso Drive, had been closed.
Heavy gunfire at SSS Headquarters
The Punch on MARCH 31, 2014
Security was beefed up around the Presidential Villa and other parts of Abuja on Sunday morning as heavy shootings were recorded at the headquarters of the State Security Service.
The SSS headquarters, known as Yellow House, is located behind the Villa.
The access gate to the Villa through the Fire Service office in Asokoro was quickly shut while more heavily armed soldiers were seen at the gate leading to the nation’s seat of power through the Federal Secretariat.
Military helicopters were also seen hovering over the area.
One of our correspondents who attempted to access the SSS headquarters area through the Aso Drive was turned back alongside other motorists in front of the Millennium Park by armed SSS operatives.
The PUNCH learnt from a source that trouble started when one of the suspects in the SSS custody, believed to be a Boko Haram member, overpowered an operative who was in his cell to deliver food to him.
The suspect was said to have shot the operative with a rifle and went ahead to release his co-suspects.
The source said, “An operative went to give food to a suspect this (Sunday) morning. The suspect was not properly chained, so he pushed down the operative and quickly dispossessed him of his rifle and shot him.
“He quickly released his co-inmates who started escaping with some scaling the fence.”
The incident led to a gun battle between the suspects and the SSS operatives.
It was learnt that in the process, 21 suspects believed to be Boko Haram members, were killed while about 20 were re-arrested.
Two rifles were recovered from them while two SSS operatives were also said to have been critically injured.
The Deputy Director, Public Relations, Department of State Services, Ms. Marylyn Ogar, confirmed the shootings but did not give the identities of detainees who attempted the jailbreak.
Ogar said in an electronic mail on Sunday that a detainee struck one of the operatives handlers on the back of his head with his handcuff.
She added that the attempt by the detainee to escape made other SSS operatives on guard to fire shots to prevent others from escaping from the facility.
According to her, the gunshots attracted the attention of the military, which according to her, had an understanding of mutual protection with the SSS in the event of any threat.
Ogar said, “At 0715 hours, the service suspect handler went to the detention facility within the headquarters to give food to the suspects.
“One of the suspects attempted to disarm him by hitting him at the back of his head with his handcuff. His attempt to escape drew the attention of other guards at the facility who fired some shots to warn and deter others.
“The Army immediately deployed a team to reinforce our perimeter guards to forestall any external collaborators. The situation has since been brought under control.”
She explained in another statement later on Sunday, that the roads leading to the headquarters of the SSS were initially cordoned off to prevent a possible assistance from “external collaborators.”
According to her, the entire neighbourhood was thoroughly searched after which the roads were open to the public.
The SSS spokesperson restated the determination of the service to continue to ensure the safety of Nigeria and its citizenry.
However, as of the time of filing this report, security operatives were still combing the thick bush that surrounds the Yellow House in search of the fleeing suspects.
Ogar, in her third statement on Sunday, said 21 people died during the incident.
But she did not indicate whether the dead were inmates or not.
She said, “Following our earlier releases, it has been established that 18 casualties were recorded, while two service personnel sustained serious injuries. Three other detainees who sustained gunshot injuries during the incident have also died.”
The SSS spokesperson said that investigation was still ongoing to ascertain the immediate and remote causes of the incident.
When the news of the incident spread, security was also quickly beefed up at the Nigeria Police Force headquarters in Area 11.
The NPF headquaters, known as Louis Edet House, is not too far from the Presidential Villa.
An Armoured Personnel Carrier was used to completely block a lane on the road leading to the Federal Secretariat with motorists driving one way.
In a bid to douse speculations that the Presidential Villa was affected by the SSS headquarters’ shootings, the Presidency said President Goodluck Jonathan was “safe and well.”
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, made the clarification on his Twitter handle.
“What happened at the SSS HQs has nothing to do with the Villa. President Jonathan is safe and well. Thank you for your concern and support,” Abati wrote.
The presidential spokesman further explained that the incident at the SSS headquarters was an attempted ‘jailbreak’ that was foiled, adding that there was no cause for alarm.
“What happened at the SSS HQ this (Sunday) morning was an attempted jailbreak which has been effectively foiled. There is no cause for alarm,” he wrote.
Sule Lamido lashes Jonathan over missing $20b, National Conference
The Nation On Mar 31st, 2014 at 01:10
Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido lashed out at the Jonathan administration for what he called its failure to address Nigeria’s ills.
He described the leadership as “totally disconnected with the people”, saying “all its policies are formulated in parallel with the needs, plight and interest of the common man and the country.”
Lamido also condemned the National Conference, the government approach to the Boko Haram killings and abandonment of projects in his state, among others.
He spoke in Dutse, the state capital, at the weekend while receiving a delegation of the Bank of Agriculture. It was led by Managing Director Dr. Falalu Santuraki.
The delegation, which praised Lamido’s support for agriculture, proposed a N1billion minimal interest loan to support irrigation for farmers at the Hadejia Valley, with minimal interest.
Lamido lamented that the Auyo irrigation scheme was abandoned for over 30 years by the Federal Government. He expressed regret that the promises made by President Jonathan to release N10 billion for the project and the reassurance by Vice President Namadi Sambo when he visited three years ago had not been fulfilled.
He also said the dualisation of Kano-Maiduguri federal road, which was started more than eight years ago, remained uncompleted. He described this as a manifestation of lack of seriousness from the leaders.
Lamido accused the President of gathering elders and respectable nationals to be embarrassing themselves in the name of national conference.
He said: “Some comments and statements from some delegates to the conference is disappointing and a threat to the unity of the nation.”
“It is unfortunate that our last line of hope, which comprises the emirs, clerics and elder statesmen, has been assembled somewhere and are busy insulting one another in the name of national conference. Believe me, if the situation continues, our nation’s unity is in danger,” he said.
The governor added: “If the PDP or APC members of the House of Assembly abuse one another, it is understandable because it is democracy for one party to challenge another.”
Lamido noted also that the administration is full of deceit and lackadaisical attitude to people’s needs and interests. “It is quite unfortunate that today in Nigeria, hundreds of innocent people are killed, like chicken on a daily basis for no just reason and nobody cared to talk about it.”
His words: “It is only in Nigeria that $20billion would be declared missing from the public treasury, but no one cared to talk about it because leaders can dare any huge consequences in bargaining and securing their political interests.
“The leadership in this country is totally disconnected from the people. All its policies are formulated in parallel with the needs, plight and interest of the common man and the country”.
“The masses are today living in agony due to high level of injustice, denial, imposition, abuse of office ensured by the tyranny of bad leadership.”
OPC blames elite, religious leaders for Ibadan horror
The Punch on MARCH 31, 2014
The Oodua Peoples Congress has stated that the elite and religious leaders in the society are responsible for the spate of ritual killings in the country. The group noted that “the blood of innocent people are being shed to get power and money.”
The organisation, which was reacting to the recent discovery of decomposed bodies and victims being held captive in a bush located in Soka area of Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, also raised the alarm that it had received reports of similar ritual sites in Ogere, Shagamu, Ijebu-Ode, Owo, Okene and Ilesha.
The National Coordinator of OPC, Chief Gani Adams, in an interview with The PUNCH in Abuja, urged the media to keep on following the Ibadan incident and other cases.
He said “What happened in Ibadan is highly condemnable. It is not only in Ibadan that something like that happens. The authorities must do something about it. When you are going to Ibadan, after leaving Ogere, we have received a report that something like that is happening there. Between Shagamu and Ijebu-Ode, we have received a report that there is also a ritual site there. There are many sites and spots, even in Owo, Okene and Ilesha, there are ritual sites
“When we got reports about these incidents, we were not surprised.
“But I am using this opportunity to call on the Governor of Oyo State, Abiola Ajimobi; Commissioner of Police in Oyo State; and the Director of State Security Services in Oyo State, to expose the people behind the ritual site in Ibadan. Who knows what is giving us problems in Nigeria? The blood of innocent people are being shed to get power and money.”
Asked what the OPC had done about the Ibadan horror scene, he said the issues were already being investigated by the police.
“Look, you have to be very careful in Nigeria because those who are involved in the ritual sites are the powerful people in the society. These are the people that can influence the IGP even if he wants to act and carry out investigations. If not because God has decided to expose them now, who would have heard of the recent incident? The only organisation that can help the victims and expose perpetrators of these crimes is the media.
Ekiti: Adeyeye dumps consensus candidate, joins Fayose
The Punch on MARCH 31, 2014
A former Publicity Secretary of the Afenifere, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, has abandoned his earlier position on consensus candidacy for the Peoples Democratic Party in Ekiti State by agreeing to work with ex-Governor Ayo Fayose.
Adeyeye, who was one of the 13 agggrieved governorship aspirants of the PDP, had rejected the result of the primary election which produced Fayose. He described it as a fabricated one.
But in a letter claimed to be written to President Goodluck Jonathan and jointly signed by Fayose and Adeyeye, the duo said they had agreed to work together as a team.
The letter was made available to our correspondent via email by Fayose’s media aide, Mr. Idowu Adelusi.
In the letter titled, ‘Letter of agreement and understanding to work together’, Adeyeye agreed to give Fayose a free hand to pick his running mate, while he (Adeyeye) had accepted to pick the ministerial slot of Ekiti State.
However, Adeyeye when contacted said he could not talk because he was attending a crucial meeting. Also, a text message sent to him was not responded to as of the time of filing this report.
The letter reads, “We, Mr. Ayo Fayose and Prince Dayo Adeyeye, who are principal players in the just-concluded PDP primaries have come together to form a common front in the 2014 Ekiti State gubernatorial election.
“As a result, he (Prince Dayo Adeyeye) has agreed to accept Ekiti ministerial appointment at the pleasure of Mr. President.
“I, Ayo Fayose, have no objection and plead with the President to accede to our request and please give same immediate effect to allow both of us move to the field together as a team.
“We also agreed to give Mr. Ayo Fayose free hand to pick his running mate due to its sensitivity, however the person must be from the south senatorial district.
“We will both appreciate an immediate audience with Mr. President and the PDP National Chairman on this and other related matters concerning the 2014 elections.”
It will be recalled that Adeyeye, who is a prince from Ise Ekiti, has been at the forefront of those clamouring that the governorship ticket of the PDP be zoned to Ekiti South which has yet to produce a governor in the state.
His volte face is seen as a blow to the consensus arrangement being clamoured for by the aggrieved aspirants majority of those who are from Ekiti South.
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party in Ekiti State on Sunday said that it did not recognise Senator Gbenga Aluko as the candidate of the party.
The Ekiti State chapter of the PDP made this known in a statement issued by its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Oluwawole.
He described the purported emergence of another consensus candidate in Abuja for the same election as “not only a ruse but an attempt to mislead members of the public.”
Oluwawole said what the group of aspirants did by announcing a candidate of their own was contemptous.
I have forgiven Atiku, others – Obasanjo
Vanguard on March 30, 2014
ABEOKUTA — Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, yesterday, reacted to the request of Northern Youth Leaders Forum, NLYF, to forgive his estranged former Vice-President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, saying; “I have forgiven him.”
Obasanjo who stated this after a two-day meeting with the forum in Abeokuta said he had also forgiven other persons perceived to have offended him.
The forum led by its Chairman, Elliot Afiyo had appealed to Obasanjo to forgive his former Vice-President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of whatever political sin or offence he might have committed against him.
Abubakar was Obasanjo’s vice, between 1999 and 2007, and was believed to have scuttled the third-term ambition of Obasanjo in 2006.
But Obasanjo while reacting to the request by the NYLF said as a leader and father, he bore no grudge against anybody and if there was, he had forgiven.
According to him: “On the request that you made yesterday, I do not have any grudge against anybody. And if there is any, I have forgiven all as a father.”
Obasanjo who appreciated the group for coming to Abeokuta to make case for a way forward for the country, stressed that since 2003, the group had increased in membership.
He said: “The effort of your group has been noteworthy. I am happy that you have also increased in number. Let me appreciate all your support since 2003 and urge you to continue by ensuring that credible leaders are elected in 2015.”
The leader of the delegation , Afiyo had earlier said: “The leadership ïs in Abeokuta to visit our Baba to identify with his vision for our great country, Nigeria.”
In a position paper submitted earlier on Saturday, he stated; “We have come to you (Obasanjo) as a father indeed.
“With your positive attributes, Chief Obasanjo has no option or alternative than to chastise and later forgive and embrace both the good and bad characters.
“In view of this, we humbly request that you forgive your former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of whatever political sin or offence he might have committed against you. We bow ourselves before you on his behalf and plead for mercy and understanding.”
The National chairman added that the mission to come and plead for Atiku did not in any way stop him from charting any noble political course for the nation come 2015.
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