Fresh security alert in Abuja over plot to bomb markets, shopping malls

BY MOLLY KILETE, ABUJA ON JULY 21, 2014 ·

As the military grapples with the insurgency of Boko Haram, security agencies have uncovered plans by insurgents to attack five busy spots in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

This came at a time intel­ligence reports revealed that some insurgents had infiltrated Utako Market, disguising as petty traders, wheel barrow pushers, butchers, and cab drivers awaiting instructions on when to bomb the market.

According to security sourc­es, the identified terror targets were the Utako Market, Area 1 Shopping Centre, DeiDei Mar­ket, Farmers Market, Maitama and Area 3 Motor Spare Parts Market located behind the old secretariat in Abuja.

It was gathered that having uncovered the plot, security agencies were working round the clock to avert the attacks. To this end, the task force in charge of security in Abuja was considering shutting down the Utako Market, DeiDei Market and the shopping malls target­ed for the attacks.

Sources told Daily Sun that security personnel had met with the management of the affected markets and shop­ping malls to discuss the way forward, even as the secu­rity agencies shut down one of such malls located at Wuse Zone 5 after it received a threat letter from insurgents over a purported attack.

Checks by Daily Sun re­vealed that security in Utako Market could pose a challenge due to the size of the market.

A top security source, who did not want his name in print, listed some of the security challenges at the market to in­clude the large number of gates in the market, traders who did not have shops but sold their wares outside the market, banks operating in the market and an illegal motor park that had taken over the parking lot as well as the indiscriminate parking within and outside the market.

According to the sources, the situation had made the market porous, thereby consti­tuting a big challenge.