- The Nigerian army is warning residents of the north-eastern part of the country to be mindful of possible attacks this festive season
- The army, through Col Onyema Nwachukwu, urges the people to be very conscious of their environments
- He further begs clergymen to play active roles during this period
The Nigerian Army has asked the residents of the north-east to remain very vigilant and guard against bombings and attacks by Boko Haram insurgents during the yuletide.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Col Onyema Nwachukwu, the deputy director of army public relations, Operation Lafiya Dole, said this through a statement in Maduguri, Borno state.
According to Nwachukwu, it is important that people remain vigilant and monitor suspicious persons in their communities, places of worship and other public places as they celebrate.
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He explained that the insurgents were taking advantage of the relaxed vigilance and security measures to attack soft targets.
“Additionally, an assessment of recent trend of Boko Haram insurgents Improvised Explosive Device (IEDs) campaign indicated a deliberate targeting of places of worships as witnessed in the disheartening incident of the suic*de bombings.
“One of the reasons adduced for easy infiltration by suic*de bombers is the absence of measures to scrutinize and identify persons accessing these facilities.
“Most places of worship have been found to exhibit similar deficiency and have lowered their guards, thereby exposing themselves to preventable attacks," he said.
He urged community and religious leaders in the area to sensitise and mobilise their people to be security conscious to prevent attacks by insurgents.
Nwachukwu said troops of the Nigerian army have sustained onslaught against the Boko Haram insurgents in the ongoing clearance operations in Borno and that many of the terrorists had been killed while many more have surrendered voluntarily.
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“Some of the insurgents, however, escaped with gunshot wounds and might be seeking help and treatment in any available health facility.
“Unsuspecting persons have inadvertently provided such fleeing insurgents with support without recourse to the security agencies,” Nwachukwu said.
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Source: Naija.ng