 Welcome back. Time to move straight to our next major conversation. Of course, the news is no longer fresh. Terrorists released a threat to kidnap the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammad Buhari. In a video we saw going on social media as well. And not just the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammad Buhari. Also, they threatened to kidnap the governor of the northern state of Kaduna, Malam Nasir Air Ruffai. And barely 24 hours after the terrorist who hijacked the Kaduna-bound train released that video threatening to kidnap the president of Nigeria and the Kaduna state governor. We're told insecurity fears have been heightened at the nation's capital, the federal capital territory. And this has led to the immediate closure of all unity schools in Abuja. I'm sure that if you check, you'd see that even private schools may also fall suit as well. Now, this was after three soldiers sustained injuries in Anambush, what is described as Anambush, by Boko Haram terrorists in the Buhari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory. The soldiers from the elite brigade's guard, or guard's brigade rather, guarding the FCT as well as the presidential seat of government were ambushed along Buhari Kubwar Road, while on patrol of Buhari Area where the Nigeria Law School and the joint admissions and matriculation board jam are located. At the guard's brigade, we're told is in charge of the security of the president, his entire family, the vice president, VIPs in Abuja that is not just in Abuja for entire federal capital territory and its surrounding states. Now, this will be the first direct encounter between terrorists and the brigades of guards in Abuja. Now, the soldiers from the Seven Guards Battalion who have been carrying out patrol in the town, following the intelligence reports of an impending attack on the Nigerian Law School, came under heavy fire around the Kubwar Buhari Road, heavy fire. And this led to the injuries sustained by the soldiers. The injured soldiers have been moved to the Seven Guards Medical Center, we're told, where they're currently receiving treatment. We hear they are in stable condition. This signal has been out already. The Spokesman of the Guards Brigade, Captain Joffrey or Guthrie and Nabi Abakba did confirm this attack but declined further comments, declined further comments. There's a whole lot of activities going down there as far as security in Abuja is concerned. Of course, yesterday the Federal Ministry of Education took a cue from the intelligence reports and they were proactive to say immediately all federal unity colleges in Abuja and the FCT should be closed with immediate effect and, of course, ordering immediate evacuation of all students. Now, while some schools had directed students to vacate later on Wednesday, July 27, other schools disseminated messages to parents asking them to come pick up their children yesterday without fail, due to rising fear and anxiety emanating from the reported threats. I'm sure you can imagine the panic and pandemonium of parents running to get their wards from the schools not knowing what exactly was happening. Of course, on Sunday night there were unconfirmed reports on social media indicating that there was heavy shooting around the federal government college Kuali in Abuja and parents had rushed to the school to ascertain the safety of their children and possibly return home with them until calm is restored. This is what we have today in the nation's capital, the federal capital territory of Abuja. It's a worrying situation and time for us to analyze this. I'm glad to say we have joining us this morning two very, very qualified and enlightened security personnel experts on the program tonight. We have Mr. Dennis Amakri who is a former director of the Department of Security Services, the DSS and of course Dr. Yajusa Getzo who also joins us tonight this morning as a security analyst. Gentlemen, a very good morning to you and welcome to the program. Good morning, Mr. Yajusa. Good morning. All right. Dr. Amakri, let's start with you. When you hear that the regalia of guards have been attacked and from this report the introduction we're told that they are the ones directly involved with protecting the president, what comes to mind for you as a former head of the intelligence in the country? Good morning. Let me read some clarifications there. First of all, I met a doctor and just Mr. Amakri. Secondly, the regalia of guards are there for the protection of the federal capital territory. They are not directly involved in the protection of the president. The president has protective details that are supplied by the Department of State Services. So those are two things we should note. Now, of course, let's go back to Kuji presence. You remember when the attack happened and then of course we also talked about it that the place that this happened is to be the proximity to the federal capital territory. In fact, it is part of the federal capital territory. In fact, the regalia of guards must have gone ahead and then of course do their job because they were actually patrolling to make sure because we weren't at that time that these guys have a final target and that would be Abuja itself, the secret power. So of course now we have the regalia of guards repelling that. And I'm very worried though because we keep on giving publicity to the terrorists. We keep on giving publicity to them. They attacked the regalia of guards, they were wounded. How many of the terrorists were wounded? We don't know. So this is a very fundamental issue. I'm saying this because the final objective of terrorists is publicity. And as they give this publicity, we, inadvertently, the Nigerian media is giving the publicity to them. All right. I'll come to you, Dr. Ketso. What are your thoughts on the video released on Sunday? Threats to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria? Are these empty threats? So you think that these threats by the terrorists or somewhere in the bushes around Kaduna State should be taken seriously? We know in the security and intelligence there is nothing to be taken lightly. And it is in a good of the government to manage information very well. In 2016, 2017, and 2018, I personally have provided information in respect to the presence of this guy in the areas of Sabah Musi, which is part of the Niger State neighbouring Bihari Area Council, in the areas at the back of Waabalada, and in the areas around Robuchi, neighbouring, which is part of the Abadini Area Council, neighbouring Nassarawa State among other places. And I have been alerting the government, arresting and impassing and on media, to the fact that there is need to take a very good response, not even to allow these guys to continue to organise themselves. But the government was so adamant, due to negligence, inability to manage information and utilise it, which was a free information, not even a paid information. However, I want to tell you that I didn't find the threat as something that government or any security person would consider as a light. I'm not surprised if these guys have the confidence and courage to have sent such a message to the government, looking at how they were able to conduct their operations successfully at the seat of the government, that is the Pooja Jail drama. Because I consider it as a Kaniwood drama, although why? Why? Because you have all the headquarters of all the security agencies available in Abuja Wazir Ridge, within the 35 to 40 radius, kilometer radius, that they could have been a kind of challenged, but they conducted their activity unchallenged. So it will not surprise me if at all these guys were able to kidnap the president himself, going by the threat they mentioned and even without the threat. Because yes, of course, if you are provided with the right information at the right time, you're supposed to promptly act. But if you didn't promptly act, and these guys test their machinists, test their ability, because they are working on Kooja Jail break, testing their ability. We have the mighty of the Nigerian Air Force, the NMDA Super International Airport, which is less than nine or seven to nine kilometer between the Kooja prison and within the proximity. And you have the Nigerian Civil Defense Air Force also within the five kilometer. And you have the Nigerian immigration. And you have the Niger Barak, the Kamo Barak, the Lingi Barak and Abacha Barak. And you have the Nigerian War College. You have the DLCC reporters. You have the Brigade of God everywhere guarding the Abuja. And I really appreciate what Mr. Dennis had mentioned for the fact that this guy, the President, is on guard, but not standing. If at all we have all these machinists and these guys have the capability, have the ability, have the confidence, have the plan of mobilization. And if you know where the location of Kooja prison is, I wonder how these guys were able to conduct their operations successfully for three hours, celebrate it, even conduct a preaching session, and for them to also work out on challenges. This is really a big slap to Nigeria, not only in the face of Nigerians, but even in the face of Africa and at large in the face of international community. And I'm bereft at thought, no embarrassment will come if at all the government didn't speak to its responsibility because this is something that can be managed. I keep saying that our security challenge can be managed within two spring days if at all we have a serious government. The major issue is you don't have a serious government. All right. Thank you, Amarielza, I guess. So Dennis Makri, you've listened to him. He says it's a threat to be taken seriously, this threat by the terrorists to attack and kidnap President Muhammad Buhari. How possible is an attack on the seat of power in the Nigerian nation by these terrorists and an attack on the president of the president? We're aware of this shootout between security operatives attached to the advanced team in the convoy of the president in Katsina some weeks ago before the Salah holidays, you know, that one has happened and has gone. That probably gave us a taste of what these guys can do. How possible is such an attack on the seat of power in Nigeria with all the apparatus of security in the country has been highlighted by our guest, Dr. Getsu. You've looked at all the plethora of all the agencies is called. That sounds like a lot. So how possible is such an attack in the context of today's Nigeria security apparatus on the president and on the entire presidential architecture? Very possible. Very, very possible. Dr. Getsu is very, very correct because you have to realize something that the president is one of the most protected persons in the country. This most protected person in the country. And he has, that's why he has this protective detail around him when he's moving or even when he's sleeping. They have a protective detail around him because he's the most protected person. Now, where are you protected this person like that? Because the likelihood of attack is possible. And I can tell you when you look at the, when you look at the history of presidential assassinations all over the world, most assassinations have happened very close to the presidents. Very, very close to the presidents. That's why they said all the protective details and all the guards around the area who are responsible for protection are supposed to heighten their security. Heighten their security in the sense that everything could happen. You know, we have in India, the president there, the lady president there was killed by one of our bodyguards. We have President Ronald Reagan was in a public function in the United States when somebody very, very close to him shot him. You know, so you find out that if you look at the history, it is not far-fetched. And of course the capability of these guys, you know, I am very, very sure that security agencies are very, very much aware of this. Because they have, like Dr. Geshu said, they have practiced it. They have tried it. They tried it on the advance party convoy. They tried it very close to home. At the Kuya presence. So these things are just practices. Now it's left for the security details or the people in charge of protection to go back to the table and then of course re-strategize. Because of course this enemy means business. You've given some interesting examples. I think you're talking about Indira Gandhi if I'm not mistaken. We have you here, Ronald Reagan. We can look at Robert Kennedy. You know, sorry. You can look at Kennedy, the former president of America. You can look at, in Africa, we have the likes of Laurent Kabila, who was shot. But some of these people were shot at close range. It was sort of a sniper-style assassination. It was like Indira Gandhi and Laurent Kabila. It was the presidential guard for Laurent Kabila. It was a member of the presidential guard who shot him at close range. If you go to Japan to see what happened to the former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, someone in the crowd shot him from a distance. Look at what happened to Kennedy. It was allegedly a sniper. Lee Harvey Oswald from a building above where he was passing the motorcade. So these are sort of sniper-style shootings, not kidnapped. But what these guys are saying is they will kidnap the president and take hold of him hostage. Apart from maybe some insider collusion of sorts with a member of the presidential guard or some close protection official harming the president, will it be possible for these bandits, these terrorists who are in the Zambeza Forest and probably in the hills surrounding Nambuja and the Khadnafras to drive to Asura villa, pick the president and take him into the forest and say, we're holding you hostage? Mr. Marquis, just to follow up on what you said. Yeah, very well. I'm happy that you know a lot about the history of assassination. And of course, and don't make any mistake I think that they will come right into Asurok to go and look for him. He leaves Asurok. He gets out of that place. He goes to places. He travels, you know, he goes to the airport. So you see, it is not just looking at his bedroom or his office, you know, or any other place. Wherever he goes to visit, you know, so the protective details have a big job right now on heightened security to make sure that these particular threats, you know, neutralized, because they cannot just sit back and say, oh, it's not possible. I don't think they are thinking like that anyway, but just to assure the public that it's just not possible. All right. Yahuza Ghetso, let's look at the move by the federal government through the Ministry of Education ordering schools in the FCT to close down. Disseminating from an intelligence report, you know, which said that there was an imminent attack on some schools in the FCT. What are your thoughts on this? Has Abuja itself become so porous that bandits or terrorists, whichever the case may be, can drive to any school they wish and just kidnap students anyhow? Is this a real and existing threat? Well, let me tell you one thing. I believe, and I'm sure Mr. Dennis will be able to witness, that in the last 37 years to date, the recruitment of personnel in all the services and not saying Nigerian Army, Nigerian Air Force, I say all the services have been really a mess for so many leaders, one of which production has been playing a great role in terms of people paying and buying two of our into the services. So for this, a lot of criminals and a lot of our members of the terrorist groups have also utilized the same event to buy of us and get their colleagues, their friends, their oriented people into the services. So you have an internal kind of circumstance whereby Nigerians who return intelligence have not been able to manage and conduct a background check on its personnel, especially those who are being employed into the services in the last seven years. Of course, it may have started longer than that time, but I want to tell you that there are practical know-how by even an ordinary person in the bush, that if you have money you can easily pay and get yourself employed into any of the services. And if you don't have money and you don't have anybody to conide with somebody internally or within the system you will not get yourself there. So looking at what happens by closing the federal government schools myself around 6.30 a.m. the principal of one of the schools where my wife is called my attention for the needs to quickly come and pick our children before 12 noon. Even though I have had the information of the attack on Sheda, actually the attack is close to the federal government college money but not the target wasn't the federal government college money. It was a community called Sheda. They conducted their attacks successfully and they were able to make some kid naps and as far as concern based on the intelligence I gathered it wasn't really a direct attack on the community but there is a kind of opposition group who are using that community as a cover-up. So they went there to chase them away so that they can pick up their arms and there are certain other information which I cannot disclose on air for supporting our intelligence and security who are working hard to see that Nigeria itself. So looking at so many things that is happening around around Siligya around areas of Paduna Road around areas some location few kilometers to Guari and few kilometers at the back of the Mubarak and Niger Barak and to some extent some activities of post-corrupulous elements that has been happening around the areas of Orof Gidamongo Road Karshi as well as other areas of Abadji Rubuchi Garumbaga Ji at the back of Bwagwaladia among other areas somewhere around few kilometers about 20 kilometers away to Nigeria State and also some areas around Kapa also neighboring outskirts the areas like Karfi the areas like so many other locations which I don't need to mention for certain reasons but I know we are providing this intelligence and information for security to to utilize but I want to tell you in the last 11 years Abuja have not been self simply because of negligence simply because of ability of our government to sit up to its constitutional responsibility and simply because of even the inability of the government part machineries to utilize this information and kind of manage situations and circumstances and make the necessary arrests and also kind of executions so there is more in FCT that have been in the last 11 years I want to tell you and I have my reasons and I have been interacting directly and indirectly with security personnel across both of the FCT including all the all the services because I have been in Abuja for all this while with my family and I know the information I am generating and I want to tell you that FCT Abuja have been tested by these criminals by these cowards by these so called terrorists because as far as I am concerned they can be dealt with where locations and their hideout is still I keep emphasizing and I keep repeating myself is known by many of the intelligence personnel and by many of the services only that probably they have not been provided with an environment for them to do their needful and I keep saying there are a number of personnel that we have in the country and especially even man in Abuja if not up to 15% of what is required so I will not be surprised if the schools were closed even though some of the private boarding schools were closed before the announcement before the minute three also ask the Federal Government Colleges to be closed we have six Federal Government Colleges around FCT but what have the government been doing go to Roboti which is the most remote school among all the schools you have which is around the Abadi which is in a very close where you have the terrorists come less than 7 km and this is known I have made this known 34 years ago to intelligence but yet these guys are rebuilding their mighty are rebuilding their capacity around that area and they have never been challenged by the security team and at the same time the Sabangusse area and other areas of part of Bwari and part of Kujie which is neighboring a very dangerous environment where Anzaru and others are settled which is neighbor in Nassarawa State and Nassarawa Toipu which has been known and has been made mention since Al-Mukor was a governor but yet nobody is taken serious so we are undermining some of the information and we are undermining the capability of this unscrupulous element within the services and at the same time we are undermining the capability and capacity of these guys and by day they are testing their machinations and they are testing their capabilities and I will not be surprised if among the brigade guards if among the presidential combo if among the special special details that are managing protecting the president the vice president and all other distinguished personalities you have these unscrupulous elements that have been engaged in the services I have my reasons practical reasons that I hope to take on them on the public but in the security the highest level of security authority are listening and watching my discussion here they know the message I am taking and they are sending them a reminder and a follow up on so many discussions we have had all right Dr. Gates we will come back to Najifi Mr. Denison Macri he has talked about intelligence and role intelligence plays we will come to a follow up question regarding what he says but we are told that it was earlier reported that the national security and civil defense called the NSCDC had issued a security alert that the insurgents are planning to attack schools churches and public infrastructure and this was what the Brigades God or the God of Brigades the Brigades of God rather God's brigade deployed troops to the entry and exit points of Abuja in response to this security tip or security alert by the national Nigerian security and civil defense called NSCDC and it was in this deployment of their personnel to the exit points and entry points of Abuja that they encountered these terrorists they intensified their stop and search can you tell us your thoughts on the role intelligence is playing in Nigeria today and particularly in securing the seat of Nigeria's power the FCT Abuja with all that has happened so far well let me direct an impression again maybe one of the intelligence report that was given by the NSCDC was later because I remember very well that the DSS had released the report about some two months ago even before the attack of Kuji you know that some facilities critical national infrastructures are going to be attacked you know and of course some people have been very much aware of this particular warning for a very long time that's why even when the Kuji happened everybody looked at it but yes intelligence is being produced on a daily basis on a daily basis but the problem we have here is that sometimes intelligence are being produced and then given to the consumers will sometimes take it lackadisically I'm happy about one thing though of recent because of what is happening the results that these reports have been thrown up a lot of people are now taking intelligence report seriously but they should do more they should do more because it is not just getting the intelligence report but putting it the appropriate response the appropriate response you know Kuji recently got the report but what did they do they were just putting mobile phones and all that is now what we are talking about look at the total infrastructure and then of course look at how you can repair you can also remember there is no so there is no generator and then the satellites are not working so the prison towers are very black and dark remember what we earlier said there are always insiders who are reporting to outsiders and you find out that in fact in Kuji itself is a very good word whereby we are actually watching and seeing what the security agencies will do and the correctional officers who are very like a desical about the whole thing so it happened and there are phones phones that have been smuggled in Kuji prison is not prison with so much phones in them so much because there are some high profile inmates over there and then of course they have nobody to use their phone so it is important to do this alright finally I mean this issue of phones you've talked about is one that I'm sure that Dr. Getzo agree with you that it's a normal thing in the prisons in Nigeria but what does it say Mr. Maki that it's taking not the Kuji attacks I don't know if the stop and search has been ongoing but from the reports that we have that is taking the intelligence generated by a security report led by the NSCDC for the guards brigade to be deployed at the exit and entry points if indeed they had not been there all the while since from the time of the Kuji prison attack till now and they are just being deployed you can see the results of what happened they were able to apprehend during their stop and search operations or rather they encountered them and engaged in a gun duel what does it say that for some time we've not had a permanent stop and search operation but soldiers at the entry and exit points of Abuja despite all that's happened you know like I told you the the bead of guards are not just sitting down there and then watching television and just recycling you know mobilize that's their job to take care of that trajectory that they do every day so you know it is not a matter of it is just happening you know it has been happening but when these reports come to them they move up a level to a heightened level of security that's how it works shouldn't security at the highest level shouldn't it have been at the highest level following at least the Kuja attacks you said intelligence was generated before then shouldn't it have been at the highest level not waiting for this recent intelligence alert or security alert before they move to the entry and exit points see the reports we have anything to go by of course right now I cannot tell you because I am not in there but I know that they are on a very heightened alert they are on a heightened alert but either level one or level five or level six depends on where they are you know they know among themselves which level they are right now you know that's not for public discussion all right I just would like to thank you have so many questions to ask for instance the level of security how unguarded Abuja is some say that the soldiers and security institutions that are there mostly administrative you don't have as many soldiers armed soldiers in Abuja as you have in other states where you have the brigades and artillery divisions and all that but we don't have too much time to go into that but I'd like to thank you gentlemen for your time Dennis Marcus from the director and doctor it's a security analyst and expert gentlemen thank you so much for your time thank you thank you and have a pleasant time thank you very much when we return we look at a recent victory a world record set by a Nigerian world athletics championship giving so much joy to nation in need of hope we'll be 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