State Security Service operatives have begun a mass search for more members of Boko Haram in the southern part of the country, as the security agencies widen their scope of investigations into the activities of the sect.
This follows the recent arrest of two members of Boko Haram and the supplierof the explosive materials used for the August 26, 2011 bombing of the United Nations office in Abuja.
Twenty-three personsdied in the terror attack on the UN builiding, with more than 70 persons injured in the mid-morning incident. Boko Haram later that the day claimed responsibility for the second major attack on a UN facility; the first one took place in Baghdad, Iraq in 2003.
Investigations by SATURDAY PUNCH in Abuja on Friday showed that the action of the SSS was informed by an intelligence report that indicated that members of the sect would hide in the Southwhenever they carried out a successful attack in the North. This is to avoid being arrested by the security agencies.
A top security source explained to SATURDAY PUNCH that terror group’s new strategy was to stay in Southern cities so that frayed tempers would calm down sufficiently before they would return to their original locations in the North.
The source specifically mentioned Lagos, Ibadan, Benin and Port Harcourt as the cities the operatives were currently combing for the Boko Haram members.
According to the source, there are particular areas in the affected cities where the SSS operatives are beaming their searchlight.
“We have discovered that anytime there is abomb blast, they (the perpetrators) run to the South to seek refuge,” the source said.
“They stay there for some time before coming back to the North. But in these cities, we also have specific targets we arefocusing on.”
It was learnt that the Director-General of the SSS, Mr. Ekpeyong Ita, had sent out notices to the 36 state commands of the organisation to put their operatives on thealert as a result of lastFriday’s suicide bombing in Abuja.(Punch Newspaper)
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