al-Qaeda plans to attack Nigeria and others

As if what the country is currently facing in the hands of Islamic fundamentalist sect, Boko Haramis not enough, international intelligence agencies have revealed plans by al-Qaeda, to launch fresh attacks on Nigeria, Ghana and two other African countries.

Al-Qaeda, which is a terrorist group founded by the late Osama bin Laden,
has launching attacks all over the world. Investigations showedthat the targeted countries were receiving help from
Western nations on how to prevent the onslaught. However, it was not clear if the attacks would be launched by al-Qaeda in the Maghreb or the main terrorist organisation in the country.

The Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, Mr. Frank Mba, confirmed the al-Qaeda plot to our correspondent. Mba, however, noted that such threats were received in the past, and added that security agencies were determined to ensure the group's plan did not succeed. According to him, the police are receiving immense support from developed countries that have counter- terrorism expertise.

Mba said, "That al-Qaeda and similar groups want to attack some certain countries is not new. As security operatives, we treat information at our disposal with uttermost care. We test their veracity and analyse them. "Here in Nigeria, we stop most of the domestic attacks before they take place. We defuse more bombs than they detonate. We save thousands of lives daily but we do this discretely and quietly. "More than ever, we have so much support from the
international community. We are getting help from both ECOWAS and western countries. We are doing our best with
the resources we have and we will continue to do so. "We have stepped up security everywhere but we won't
disclose how we are doing that and the specifics of our mechanisms. "I want to assure Nigerians and the international community that government is irrevocably committed to its mandate of
providing adequate security in the country."
Ghana, another country on the radar of al-Qaeda, last Tuesday stepped up security at its Kotoka International Airport, Accra, with heavy deployment of soldiers, who frisked passengers using metal detectors. Armed troops are not a regular feature in Kotota and Ghanaians described the movement of troops as strange. Al-Qaeda's foot prints abound in Nigerian as it has cells in the northern part of the country and had also claimed responsibility for some terrorist activities.

In April, the State Security Service arrested Mohammed Ashafa said to be al-Qaeda linkman with a terror group in
Nigeria. Ashafa was reportedly apprehended by the Pakistani government through the National Intelligence Agency and handed over to the Federal Government for prosecution.
When he was arraigned at the Federal High Court, the SSS told the court that the accused person facilitated terrorist exchange programmes between al-Qaeda and its allies in the country.

The intelligence agency further said its investigations showed that Ashafa was allegedly the second in command to one Adnan Ibrahim, who was said to be the Resident al-Qaeda chief in West Africa, but based in Kano. Also, in May, al-Qaeda in the Maghreb claimed responsibility for the murder of a German, Edgar Raupach,
in Kano. Raupach was killed by his abductors when security forces tried to free him during a rescue operation. A Briton, Christopher McManus, and an Italian, Franco Lamolinara suffered similar fate in March.