adminABUJA. — Security was beefed up around the secret police headquarters in Nigeria’s capital city Abuja yesterday, following a jailbreak attempt by suspected members of the Boko Haram, a sect which has proved to be a major security threat in the West African country since 2009. A security formation comprising armed-to-the-teeth mobile policemen, soldiers and other anti-crime agents in plain clothes had been deployed to cordon off the roads leading to the headquarters of the secret police, sources told Xinhua. The jailbreak was attempted early Sunday when the inmates’ handlers went to feed them, spokesperson of the Department of State Security (DSS) Marilyn Ogar said in Abuja, adding 18 insurgents were killed in a show of force by the security operatives on guard.
“For now, this is a no-go area for everyone. Although everything is calm right now, the security operatives have not tolerated any loitering around this area since Sunday’s incident,” said Ademola Adegbuyi, a public relations consultant who lives in Asokoro, a highbrow area where the secret police headquarters and detention facility is located.
“The security men are fierce-looking but friendly, if you approach them. There is traffic gridlock in the area because the security men have been scrutinizing the identities of all passersby or road users,” said Adegbuyi. — Xinhua.
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