Two former members of the Federal Executive Council who claimed to have witnessed the heavy exchange of gunfire at the State Security Service Headquarters, Abuja, on Sunday, have disagreed with the Presidency and the SSS over the scale of the attack.
A former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode; and erstwhile Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nasir el-Rufai, said the security breach on the SSS headquarters situated behind the Presidential Villa, was more than an attempted jailbreak.
The Presidency and the SSS had explained that the incident was a failed jailbreak which was promptly brought under control.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, who took to Twitter to calm frayed nerves had said, “What happened at the SSS headquarters this morning (Sunday) was an attempted jailbreak which has been effectively foiled. There is no cause for alarm.”
But sharing their experience on Twitter while the attack was said to have been on-going, they both gave vivid descriptions of the situation on the ground, describing it as a battle that ensued between security operatives and the attackers.
Fani-Kayode, who lives just a few meters away from the SSS headquarters, said the attack was “a full-scale battle” and dismissed the Presidency’s position as an after-thought.
While lamenting the security situation in the country, Fani-Kayode said the “battle” which he witnessed was a stand-off that took the security operatives about four hours to quell.
He added that it was laughable that Nigerians were made to believe that the incident started with a gun hijack when a suspect in handcuff disarmed a train security operative.
Fani-Kayode said, “I’m very close by and I can see it all. I live 50 metres away from the SSS headquarters and the Villa and what I witnessed with my eyes and heard this morning (Sunday) was a full-scale battle. I know what I saw and heard. If you are dumb enough to believe their lies, that is your problem and not mine.
“One Boko Haram gunman in a cell and in handcuffs held the Nigerian Army and SSS off for four hours in sustained and heavy gunfire! Please, if you believe that crap, you will believe anything!”
El-Rufai, who also claimed that the incident happened “in my neighbourhood,” said helicopter gunships had to be deployed before the situation was brought under control.
Arguing that the onslaught on the SSS headquarters was more serious than what Nigerians were made to believe, el-Rufai rained curses on those he branded as “planners of genocide.”
He wrote, “Exchange of gunfire with helicopter gunship hovering over the Aso Drive neighbourhood of Maitama adjoining the SSS Headquarters.
“Whatever this is, it appears more serious than an attempted jailbreak claimed by the SSS. May God protect the innocent and destroy the murderers, kidnappers and planners of genocide. Amen.”
Meanwhile, a concerned Nigerian Abubakar Usman, has warned that it was time the President stopped trading blames with state governors on who was responsible for the spread of terrorist activities in the country.
“What happened around Aso Rock today (Sunday) is enough for everybody to ask questions. How can some Boko Haram militants detained at the SSS facility in Abuja disarm SSS operatives for hours? We need answers.
“Should Jonathan, governors, the ruling Peoples Democratic Party and the opposition All Progressives Congress continue to trade blames on who is sponsoring Boko Haram until we are all consumed?” he queried on Twitter.
Also, political blogger, Babatunde Rosanwo, said he was taken aback that suspected criminals such as Boko Haram members, could be detained at a facility close to the Presidential Villa.
According to Rosanwo, any gun attack close to where the President resides is a security breach, a development which he said should be handled with all sense of seriousness.
“Why keep high-value suspects at SSS HQ which is close to the President’s residence? I’m just curious. I hope there are no deliberate attempts to make the President panic and make security blunders. RIP to the men who bit the dust at the SSS HQ while on duty. Hopefully, the State will compensate their next of kin,” he added.
An online activist, Onye Nkuzi, described the incident as a “very serious crisis.” Expressing his fears, he added, “The SSS jail break story doesn’t sound too logical to me. How did it happen? Where did they get weapons from? This is a very serious crisis.”
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