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Passengers and
users of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, on
Thursday, expressed diverse concerns over the recently introduced
stringent security measures adopted by the Federal Airports Authority
of Nigeria (FAAN).

While some agreed
with the necessity of the newly introduced security measures aimed at
checking any form of terrorism following the October 1, 2010 twin-bomb
blasts in Abuja, other travellers believe that the development has
“unbearably” added to the regular traffic jam experienced on roads
leading to the airports. At peak periods, the Lagos airport narrow
roads are often characterised by high vehicular congestion as workers
and travellers move to or leave the airport. “I never thought that the
situation in Abuja would warrant this depressing screening being
carried out by these officers,” said James Ani, an airport staff. “They
may be right but it is highly unbearable considering the time we spend
on this traffic.”

The screening is
jointly carried out by operatives of the Nigerian Air Force, Police
Anti-Bomb Squad, Immigration, National Civil Defence Corps, and
Aviation Security, on all the routes leading to the airports. According
to Mr Ani, this has added to the plights suffered by commuters on the
roads. He called on the airports authority to deploy more men to the
roads in order to fast track the process of the checks.

Go to the airports early

On the other hand,
Samuel Oluwalana, a passenger at the airport commended the initiative
and called on other airports users to comply with the security
operatives. “It is laudable despite what some people will say when you
look at the traffic that this must have caused,” he said. “It is better
to be late and be alive than to lose your live to a bomber or a
terrorist while in haste to get to the airport.”

NEXT, on Thursday,
reported the new security measures at the airport with the officers
stationed on roads at about two kilometres away from the international
terminal, where they enforce thorough screening of both commercial and
private motorists using the roads. Richard Aisuebeogun, the Managing
Director of FAAN, in a statement on Thursday, urged on the public to
assist the agency in its fight for a safe and secured airport, adding
that with respect to the prolonged traffic, travellers and airports
users should endeavour to get to the airport “two to three hours” ahead
before their stipulated departure time to avoid missing their flights.

“We also want to advise members of the local communities and all
stakeholders to report any strange or unusual activities within the
airport environment to security agencies nationwide,” he said. “We
appeal to all airport road users to cooperate with the officials
involved in the screening exercises, to ensure smooth facilitation, and
undue delays.”

On 1st October in
the midst of celebrations for Nigeria’s 50th anniversary of
independence from Britain, three bomb blasts rang out in central Abuja
a mere one block from Eagle Square where President Jonathan was
scheduled to address the nation. At least 12 people are confirmed dead
and more than 30 injured in the central area of the national capital.
Nigeria’s security services have arrested several people in connection
with the bombing.

MEND has issued
public statements claiming responsibility. If indeed MEND did
perpetrate the crime then this is a drastic shift from MEND’s claims to
be championing the cause of the poor, disadvantaged and downtrodden
people of the Niger Delta. The demands it has consistently proclaimed
for resource control, better policing, and community development in the
Niger Delta do not appear to be linked to the Abuja bombings.

Since the general
amnesty was proclaimed one year ago which has seen 20,000 former
militia surrender and enter retraining programmes, MEND has allowed the
amnesty programme to proceed without engaging in further violence
despite not subscribing to the amnesty. The bombings have an obvious
inconsistency with MEND’s ceasefire and political agenda which it has
consistently pronounced.

If indeed MEND is
responsible then there are good reasons to suspect that these crimes
indicate a developing rift in MEND. MEND has indicated that the
bombings were carried out in retaliation for the arrest of Henry Okah
in South Africa. However, the timing of these claims seems odd. MEND
gave notice of these bombings days before Okah was arrested. The
bombings in defence of Okah seem to be a belated justification. What
then was MEND’s motive in setting of the bombs that killed so many
innocent people?

MEND also claims
that the South African security forces acted at the request of the
Nigerian authorities. The Nigerian Federal Government categorically
denies that it made any request to have Okah’s residence searched or
Okah arrested. Okah appeared before the courts in South Africa on
Monday 4th October and in the material presented to the courts and made
available from the South African Government there is no indication of
any link to the Nigerian Government.

These bombing
cannot be construed as a Niger Delta related incident. They are a
direct threat on the nation and require President Jonathan to act
clearly and decisively to protect Nigeria’s citizens.

Former MEND
commanders from the Niger Delta who availed themselves of the amnesty
have vehemently denounced the bombings. This is a responsible and
credible action but is unlikely to deter opportunists and copy-cat
incidents. Threats to explode devices at Government House at Akwa in
Anambra State and at NNPC headquarters in Abuja are likely to be
followed by similar such security alerts.

There were security
failures in locating the bombs. Despite at least 30 hours warning of
the blasts the State Security Services failed to locate the devices. In
a woeful defence of their failure the SSS spokesperson blamed the rain
for the security service’s inability to locate and remove the devices.
Clearly President Jonathan needs to address this catastrophic failure
in the security services. The appointment on Monday 4th October of
former general Owoye Azazi as National Security Adviser is a decisive
step in the right direction. Further reform of the security sector
should follow.

It is unlikely that
these bombings were the work of MEND but if so then MEND has betrayed
its cause, and any sympathy the public and particularly the people of
the Niger Delta may have had with it have been blown away with the
blasts.

The people of Abuja
will have to live with much tighter security that will inevitably cause
inconvenience through traffic jams as car boots are searched, delays in
security searches at offices and hotels, and far more rigorous and
intrusive airport clearances. This is the price of vigilance and it is
a great shame that Nigerians have lost some of their freedoms through
these acts of sabotage and death.

The transition
chairman of Ukwa west local government, Henry Nwokengbede is one of 39
suspected kidnappers arraigned yesterday before an Umuahia senior
magistrate court presided over by Adiele Ogbonna, for kidnapping and
related offences.

Security officials
said the arraignment of the suspects was part of their intensified
efforts to free Abia from the clutches of kidnappers. The suspects,
including 14 females, were arrested on September 30 when soldiers
launched an offensive against kidnapping gangs around the Ukwa west
area of the state in search of the 15 children abducted on their way to
school.

The suspects were
charged under Section 3 (C) of the Prohibition of Terrorism Law of Abia
state, “for being aware or reasonably having been aware that some
persons, names unknown are being kidnapped or held hostage in your
various communities, fail to disclose the place to the police within
reasonable time.” However, no plea was taken when the charges were read
and the matter was adjourned to October 12, while Mr Nwokengbede was
directed to appear on October 26.

The Inspector
General of Police, Hafiz Ringim, said the end had finally come for
criminals who have been holding Abia hostage. He said the minister of
police affairs will visit Abia to handle the political aspect of the
ongoing efforts to clear Abia of all criminals.

“I have the
mandate; I have the order to flush out all the criminals in the
shortest time,” he told Abia State governor, Theodore Orji during a
courtesy visit, adding that the increase in number of police and army
personnel in the state was a sign that there was no longer a hiding
place for hoodlums.

He said the
kidnappers and other criminal elements have to choose either to come
out of the forests and surrender or “we will meet them in the forest
and they will face annihilation.

“We shall not go
out of this place (Abia) until we achieve the success we are determined
to achieve,” Mr Ringim said, adding, “we are law abiding and we will on
no account violate fundamental human rights of any body.”

Mr Orji said he supported Mr Ringim’s position that there should be no mercy for the criminals who only want quick money.

The national
leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has barred delegations
from the state chapters of the party from visiting the Abuja
headquarters to lodge complaints.

The national
working committee of the ruling party, at its meeting on Wednesday
night, resolved not to receive any delegation henceforth except it
receives prior notice and approve the visit. The committee also
directed state chapters and stakeholders who have any complaints, to
channel them to their zonal offices, which will handle them or refer
them to the national headquarters for further attention. “The National
Working Committee directs that henceforth, no state delegation will be
received at the National Secretariat without prior notice and approval
by it,” a statement signed by the party’s spokesman, Rufai Alkali, said.

“All State
Chapters, groups and stakeholders in the States are advised to lodge
all complaints with their respective zonal offices who will resolve the
matter or refer same to the NWC where necessary.” The committee said it
has received news of the order of the High Court of the Federal Capital
Territory dissolving the Anambra State Congresses committee and has
filed an appeal. The party said a motion for stay of execution of the
order has also been filed.

It noted that there
was an earlier order by the High Court of Anambra State directing the
PDP to hold congresses in Anambra State, which is still Subsisting.

“Consequently, the NWC has directed the South East zonal Working
Committee to conduct the primaries to select PDP Candidates for the
forthcoming Ward and Local Government Electionsin Anambra State,” it
said.

A faction of the Progressive Peoples
Alliance (PPA) said, on Thursday, that former Abia State governor, Orji
Uzor Kalu, will not be given the ticket of the party to contest the
presidential election.

Mr. Kalu had recently declared his intention to vie for the presidency.

The deputy national chairman of PPA,
Benjamin Oburota, said in Abuja that Mr. Kalu has since ceased being a
member of the party. He said that the former governor led some members
of the party to join the ruling Peoples Democratic Party some months
ago.

“Is it possible for a non-member of a
political party to fly its presidential flag?” he asked, adding that
Mr. Kalu had long severed his ties with PPA. Mr. Oburota alleged that
the former governor thrived in dictatorship and under-hand deals, and
that the party no longer accommodates him.

He blamed the former governor’s
brazenness in the political scene on the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission(EFCC) and the judicial system which, he said, are slow in
prosecuting him.

“This has created room for Kalu to roam the streets rather than cool his heels in prison,” he said.

Dispute over membership

Referring to the recent invasion of
Thisday newspaper premises by Mr. Kalu, accompanied by court bailiffs
and policemen, Mr. Oburota said that the act further exposed the
desperation of the former governor in seeking to re-establish his
relevance.

But the chairman of the other faction
led by Larry Esin, dismissed Mr. Oburota’s assertion, saying Mr. Kalu
has the right under the country’s constitution to contest the
presidency.

According to Mr. Esin, the leader of
the other faction, Lisu Akerele, is no longer a member of the PPA,
having resigned from the party last year.

He added that Mr. Oburota is neither the chairman of the Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC) nor the chief law officer of the
federation to interprete the constitution and the electoral law.

The battle between
President Goodluck Jonathan and some northern leaders over the October
1 bombings took a new twist yesterday as the Kebbi State coordinator of
the Goodluck Support Group (GSG), Nasir Abubakar, resigned his position.

In a letter dated
October 6, 2010 and addressed to the Director General of the Goodluck/
Namadi Campaign Organisation, Mr. Abubakar said the President’s actions
following the bomb blasts caused his resignation.

“My resignation is
as a result of the stand of Mr. President on the issue of zoning and
lately his position absolving MEND of responsibility despite their
repeated claim of responsibility for the unfortunate incidence of
October 1st, 2010 in which lives of innocent Nigerians were lost and
several others severely injured,” Mr. Abubakar said.

The Kebbi State
politician said his support for Mr Jonathan “was based on the
circumstances of his first emergence first as Acting President and
subsequently as commander in Chief in strict adherence to the letter
and spirit of our constitution.”

Mr. Abubakar’s resignation is, however, believed to be a fallout of
the ongoing struggle between the Kebbi State governor, Saidu Dakingari
and his predecessor, Adamu Aliero who has since joined the Congress for
Progressive Change, the party under whose platform former Nigerian head
of state, Muhammadu Buhari, is contesting for President.

By virtue of section 58 of the constitution a bill
can be amended by an act of the national assembly. The president makes
law by passing a bill into law.

The constitution is not different from
any other law; it is just that it is the supreme law of the country.

The national assembly has nothing to lose by sending the bail for the
president’s assent. If the president does not pass the bill into law,
the bill still returns to the national assembly which can then pass the
bill into law by a two third majority of the assembly.

The national
assembly is playing games with the lives of Nigerians. Their position
is unnecessary, stupid and irresponsible.

Mr Ogunye is a lawyer in Lagos

Nigeria’s security
operatives have expressed doubt about the authenticity of the
celebrated interview with a former leader of the Movement for the
Emancipation of Niger Delta’s (MEND), Henry Okah, by Al Jazeera, during
which he said an aide of President Goodluck Jonathan asked him to
implicate Northern politicians over October 1, 2010 bomb blasts, which
left 12 persons dead.

A security source
said investigations within the security services in Nigeria and South
Africa revealed that the interview with Mr. Okah might have been faked
to deceive the Qatar-based news network.

The source said
last night that their South African counterpart confirmed that, “at no
time did we allow Okah to make such telephone contact. Following
suspicion raised about the authenticity of the interview, we contacted
South Africa to confirm its validity, but were shocked to find out that
at no time did such interview take place,” he said.

“In fact, our
contact wondered why it took us so long to cross check this information
because they did not want to interfere, since the issues did not
concern their government directly. They have been waiting for such
security inquiries from their Nigerian counterpart before revealing the
veracity of the interview, since the content does not concern them
directly.”

Al Jazeera confirmation

An Al Jazzera
reporter, however, told NEXT that the interview was conducted with Mr
Okah. The reporter said Okah called from South Africa and he was passed
on to the company’s studios in Doha.

“He called me from
prison on a +27 number,” the Al Jazeera staff said. “We had a long
discussion about the bombs and the situation in general. Clearly, they
are allowed access to fixed phone lines in SA prisons. I asked him
whether he would be prepared to be go live on Al Jazeera that very
instant. He said ‘yes’.

“So I gave him our
newsdesk number in Doha – and alerted them to the fact that Henry Okah
was about to call from prison. He called, and they put him right
through to the studio and live on air,” the reporter said.

The Joint Task
Force (JTF) for the Niger Delta has also debunked the veracity of
another Al Jazeera programme featuring alleged MEND fighters in the
region. The JTF said an aerial surveillance of the region showed there
were no longer any militant camps anywhere, as claimed by Al Jazeera.

“Al Jazeera, it will be recalled, had also during the late President
Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s health saga, staged a similar interview with the
late president’s cousin, claiming that the sick man was healthy,
playing with his children, and climbing 13-storey building,” a security
source said.