Sunday 19 August 2012

Threat messages: ‘We’ll celebrate Eid-el-Fitr with bombs, guns’

Security agents, yesterday,
stepped up checks on
motorists and pedestrians in
Bauchi State ahead of the
end of Ramadan prayers.
Security patrols were
intensified especially in
densely populated areas of
the Bauchi metropolis and
the suburbs of Yelwa (crisis
prone area), Bayara, Guru,
WuntinDada, and Tsohon
Kanfani, along Bauchi -Jos
Road.
Other areas include
Inkil,Bauchi / Gombe Road,
Rafin Makaranta, along
Bauchi Ningi/ Kano Road,
Tirwum, as well as Tundun
Salmanu.
In the metropolis, problem
prone areas such as
Karofi,Jaahun,Kandahar,Kofar
Dumi,Yakubu Wanka,Bakin
Kura and Gombe Gate,
security was beefed up
ostensibly in anticipation of
political thugs commonly
known as Sara-Suka.
According to unconfirmed
sources, text messages
warned of invasion of the
state capital by Islamists at
the prayer to end Ramadan
with bombs and guns.
Abdullahi Magaji, a resident
of Doya in Bauchi center,
showed a text message sent
tohim by somebody he did
not know. The text read:
“Asalaamailakun. This is to
inform you that our people
will be in Bauchi to celebrate
the Eid el Fitr along with you
with our guns and bombs
either Saturday or Sunday.Be
sure you receive our people .
Salaamuailaikum’’.
Our reporter was shown
similar message by one
Malama Zueilla Abubakarof
Jahun quarters who said’’
the name and the telephone
number of sender was
concealed’’.
Most of the people who said
they received the threat
messages did not know the
sender(s) of the messages
and could not disclose their
sources.
It was observed that some
policemen, at check points,
were selective in checking
cars; flashy cars with Abuja
numbers plates entering
Bauchi were not
checked.This was particularly
on the Jos / Bauchi entry
point from Tsohon Kanfani/
WuntinDada.
From Kano/Ningi entry, the
frisking was thorough as
motorists and their
passengers were asked to
disembark while vehicles and
people’s bodies were
searched.
A police sergeant, who asked
not to be named at one of
the checkpoints on the Kano/
Ningi entry point, said: “You
know this road is a
notorious route for
insurgents. It was on this
road that our people were
killed last week. The killing
has happened almost five or
times and we have to be
more security conscious
here’’.
When contacted, Bauchi
Police Public Relations
Officer, ASP Auyo Hassan,
said he had been away from
Bauchi and could not tell
what was happening in
Bauchi”

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