The Nigerian security services are on red alert over an Islamist terrorist plot to attack public infrastructure in Abuja and Niger states, an April 13 memo from the Nigeria Customs Service obtained by The Associated Press on Wednesday shows.
The targets include the capital Abuja’s international airport and prison, and a military prison in Niger state.
“Their aim is to free up arrested terrorists and cause damage to key aviation infrastructure,” the memo says.
The plot is similar to an attack in January in the neighbouring country of the Niger Republic, where Islamist terrorists targeted an air force base in Niamey, the memo reads in a warning to members of the customs service.
“The assessment of the report has shown a worrying link with the possible attack by terrorists on the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja, and recent large-scale attacks on aviation facilities in the Niger Republic (Niamey and Tahoua). This is an indication of the possible intent of terrorists to repeat the attack in Nigeria,” the memo reads.
In 2022, an attack on the above-mentioned prison resulted in 879 inmates escaping, including 64 members of the Islamic State West Africa Province, which claimed responsibility for the attack.
“The military and paramilitary are all on yellow alert and poised to prevent the attack,” a senior customs service personnel member, who is not allowed to speak to the media, told AP.
The customs service and the Nigerian military have yet to respond to AP’s request for comment.
Africa’s most populous nation, Nigeria, is facing a security challenge, particularly in the north, where there is a decade-long insurgency and multiple kidnapping-for-ransom gangs.
Boko Haram and its splinter, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), are two of the most active Islamic militant outfits. Then there is the Islamic State (IS) affiliated Lakurawa group that operates in communities in the northwest of the country, close to the Niger Republic.
The terrorist attacks would be planned and executed by sleeper cells of ISWAP and Boko Haram, the memo said.
The U.S. last week evacuated its non-essential government staff and their families from the Abuja embassy due to the increase in terrorist attacks and kidnappings, along with violent crimes in Nigeria, particularly in the northern part. The embassy has been shut.
The information minister of Nigeria, Mohammed Idris, said the U.S. move was a “normal precautionary measure based on protocols”, and it is not a reflection of the general security status of the nation.
