On this bright fateful Sunday morning, a middle age woman was spotted on the Owerri Port Harcourt road by Owerri Plaza Hotel, opposite the Nigerian Union of Journalists, NUJ, building, showering praises to God near the highway.
Her theatrical displays garnished with songs of praises and worship to God suggest that something was amiss. Passers-by and road users slow-paced to observe if the neatly dressed and bible-carrying woman was mentally deranged before they could offer a help. To their astonishment, the woman with her three children are sane but only went hysteria for escaping the calamity that would have befall worshippers at the Living Faith Christian Church (aka) Winners Chapel, located at New Owerri, the Imo State Capital.
Few minutes after the tinge of drama showcased by the woman and her children scores of security vehicles with operatives enveloped the area to suggest that there is security threat and to give a clearer insight of what may have transpired. It was later discovered that the woman mistaken to be insane was one of the numerous worshippers that thronged the Winners’ church premises for the first service that normally begins from 7am.
Further inquires at the church premises further revealed that suspected lethal bombs were planted at strategic places inside the premises for possible explosion during the scheduled Sunday church service. Within minutes, security operatives drawn from Army, Police, SSS, and Civil Defence had cordoned off the area after the church transferred their programme to Hereos’ Square. It was discovered that the explosives that can move beyond 500 meters radius were stationed to blow up the church and possibly the worshippers.
The true identity of the suspected masterminds have not been ascertained as no group has laid claim, but security sources who are said to have made arrests indicate that it could be the handiwork of the dreaded Boko Haram insurgents inflicting harm on Nigerians, especially those resident in the Northern parts of the country. Security operatives deserve commendation for successfully averting the bomb blast, by detonating and evacuating the stationed explosives. It is for this that I step down the continuation of my piece “I can also Dance Naked” to have a look at the Sunday incident.
Imolites and residents of the state have been giving praises to almighty God for averting the blast that would have left devastating effects on the society with an average 4,000 worshippers each service session. Considering the strategic positions the lethal weapons were placed and the distance to cover if it explodes, people of the state would have experienced collateral damage.
Worthy of commendation is the instant response from the state government under the leadership of Governor Rochas Okorocha, the Chief Security Officer of the state, who responded by involving all security chiefs to visit the church. Moments later, an emergency executive session was held in Government House to appraise the situation and seek proactive measures against reoccurrence. The governor who briefed the press on decisions reached however informed Imolites that there is no cause for alarm since adequate measures are underway to ensure that the activities of the insurgents do not have a foothold in the state.
A disturbed Okorocha later held a crucial security meeting with people of the state, stakeholders drawn from various autonomous communities and security officials in the state at the International Conference Centre, Owerri, where he not only read a riot act but informed the masses of far reading methods to apply in the course of checkmating activities of the suspected insurgents.
Among the measures is “Operation Know Your Neigbour” which was launched as a means of determining who-is-who in the state. Also worthy of note is the scrutiny to be placed on vehicles especially trucks entering Owerri from the Northern parts of the state. According to the number one citizen of the state, no more night movements for articulated vehicles and Lorries in the state and those offloading goods will be taking to particular areas for the exercise under security watch and surveillance. Part of the welcome developments announced by the governor is the installation of cable camera television (CCTV) in hotels and public building for easy identification of people and take over undeveloped lands.
The prompt decision of the state government to assemble Imolites and brief them on the Winners’ Chapel bomb saga is a welcomed development as it would go along way to calm the nerves of terrified residents of the bomb scare shock. It goes far to show that the Okorocha government is responsive to the welfare and needs of the people. It has also raised the mental psyche of the residents about security of lives and property in the state.
Except the state governor in his usual style wants to play to the gallery using the open general security meeting, as an revenue to score cheap political points Okorocha would have realized that security is a sensitive matter that should not be meant for all ears. The disclosure to the generality of the masses of the new security measure could be counter-productive and inimical to the operations of security agencies in the state as the targets may have been aware of plans to cage them. The revelation would force suspects to change tactics and devise fresh means of unleashing mayhem on the people.
While it was necessary to brief the people on state of the security over the Winners Chapel development, it is worthy to note that not all proactive measures and security details should have been made open to the public. Truck drivers and others would have been caught unaware by Security operatives while requesting them to divert their vehicles with goods to designated areas for offloading under security watch.
This fact was corroborated by the police command. In a phone interview with the Command’s Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Andrew Enwere (DSP) on new measures to protect lives and property, the police spokesman simply said that “It is strictly a police matter because it is a security issue. Police has conventional methods to tackle such issues and it is not a public affair on security measures to be adopted. Police is on top of the matter ….”
Commentators are of the view that instead of assembling party loyalists and uninformed persons, on security matters for the Monday briefing where the governor reeled out the measures, only competent persons should have been invited and gathered for the discussion.
The ‘Operation know-you-Neigbour’ is very crucial at this moment considering the influx of unknown faces who are not indigenes into the state. The policy will help to unmask those whose identities are in doubt and of security threat to the state. The Operation Know Your Neighbour should not be the usual mere rhetoric by the Governor to inform his audience that Rescue Mission government is “Working”. It should not be a sheer paper work to hoodwink the public into backing his government but serious security exercise with the desired report. Security is crucial in the life of a state and appropriate measures should be adopted to ensure that “Operation Know-Your-Neigbour” is really operational. Residents of the state are eagerly waiting for the commencement of the operation with a view to determining the relevant government agency in charge of implementation. Suffice it to note that the policy of not allowing trucks from the North enter the state in the night may be a mirage if past records are anything to go by. The renewed security measure may be forgotten soon except government takes pragmatic steps to enforce these rules.
It would be recalled that at the birth of this administration, a policy to ensure that trucks and lorries were bared from entering Owerri from certain hours of the day was instituted. It was followed with sign posts at strategic places by the Owerri Mayorial Affairs, office informing the operators of time limit allowed to enter the state capital territory which is from 7 in the morning till 7pm.
However, that decision did not see the light of the day as trucks and lorries operated freely at any hour of the day and night. What are the new measures to control influx of vehicles from the North in the night? Recall that while the dust raised by the Winners’ Church attempted bomb explosion is yet to rest, about 430 suspected Boko Haram members were arrested on Port Harcourt/Enugu highway Abia state, a day later. The soldiers apprehended the suspects with their buses. Reports have it that one of the insurgents wanted henchmen was also among the captives in Abia, raises further alarm that they ruthless bombers may have left their Northern domain to the South/South and South East part of the country. The fresh development gives further concern for stiffer measures in Imo than the usual policy formulation that are not implemented.
Attention needs to be placed on the increased number of foreigners in the state. A visit to the state capital shows that Northerners and foreigners alike have besieged the strategic places undertaking several menial jobs like petty trading. On Douglas Road, scores of itinerant Hausa/Fulani and Nigerien traders have overran the Mbaise Road junction with their wares, while front gate and wall of Development Sec School has turned into a mini market for foreigners. The question on lips of many is who authorized the establishment of the road side market? Has the “operation clear Douglas Road” led by Okorocha stopped and if they foreigners are not included in the cleansing exercise? More worrisome in the foreigners invasion is the menace created by restless cattle rearers from the North. Their re-occurring disturbances and skirmishers with locals in Imo have become a disturbing trend before now. Unfortunately, successive governments including the present administration have never found a solution while the land owners and inhabitants go through untold hardship and trauma in the hands of the invading herdsmen who not only attack but perish agricultural products.
If the state government means business about security in the state, the exercise of the Fulani herdsmen who have been accused of inflicting harm on their host communities must be checked. It is instructive to remind the Okorocha government of promise to install CCTV on the proposed city gates. The initial dummy sold to the residents for the multimillion naira gates was that security guards and CCTV will be installed to ensure protection of lives and property. There is no other time than now for CCTV.
At this juncture, it is pertinent to inform readers that Trumpeta newspapers had raised alarm about suspected activities of Boko Haram members in Imo when it first reported about the menace of Fulani herdsmen in communities in the state as well as the reported arrested of 18 foreigners mainly from Senegal, Mali and Burkina Faso who took off from Owerri, but were apprehended at Okigwe area on their way to Ikom. The report was the second after initial arrest around Ihitte/Uboma area.
According to the Trumpeta reports, they were brought to the state police headquarters, Owerri for interrogation outcome of Police investigation on that arrest has not been made public till date raising further questions on the attitude of concerned authorities to security matters. On a final note, security matters are not solely the responsibility of security agencies as the government, media and general populace have a role to play. Besides, politics should be divorced from security matters because victims have no political identity. In the past we used to hear “Hausa Abatago Awka” now it is “Boko Haram abatago Owerri” God forbid, it shall not be our portion. Let everybody join our dear Owelle who was reported to have become prayer warrior to cast away this demons from wrecking havoc in our midst. This we pray through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
