There was panic in Abuja on Tuesday following rumours that bombs had been planted by unknown persons at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation headquarters, the National Assembly, and the Federal Secretariat.
Workers at the NNPC Towers, the National Assembly and the secretariat rushed out of their offices as the rumours spread.
The incident generated tension in other parts of the city as residents exchanged text messages warning their friends, relatives and associates not to go near or drive near the affected places.
But the police on Tuesday, denied the rumours and advised members of the public to go about their lawful businesses without fear.
The Force Public Relations Officer, Mr. Emmanuel Ojukwu, and the Public Relations Officer of the Federal Capital Territory Command, Mr. Jimoh Moshood, said that the Police Anti-Bomb Squad, Police Anti-Terrorist Squad and other experts had visited various buildings in Abuja and did not find any bombs.
At the NNPC towers on Herbert Macaulay Way in the Central Business District where the rumours first broke, a detachment of policemen and the Anti-terrorist Squad were deployed in the building. The building also accommodates the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and a few allied organisations, including banks.
The panic, which caused a traffic gridlock along the road, started when the workers were directed by the NNPC management to move out of their offices as a result of smoke that was noticed in one of the buildings within the complex.
The situation, however, normalised after safety officials attached to the corporation told the workers, who were seen by our correspondents milling around the premises, that the fire was due to a “routine security drill.”
The Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division of the NNPC, Dr. Levi Ajuonuma, later issued a statement which attributed the panic to a security drill.
According to him, the security department was directed to carry out the security drill at the headquarters and the corporation’s strategic business units across the country to raise security consciousness among the members of staff and all visitors to the NNPC installations.
He said, “There is no cause for alarm. The drill is a regular exercise that the corporation carries out from time to time to assure our staff and all our visitors that we are on top of our security situation and to heighten our security alertness.
“The NNPC Towers is well secured and there is no threat of bomb scare anywhere.”
Ajuonuma also dispelled the rumour of a bomb in the towers as the figment of the imagination of those who did not mean well for the nation.
The Deputy Clerk to the National Assembly, Mr. Olumuyiwa Adejokun, confirmed the bomb scare as many workers abandoned their offices.
Adejokun, who went round strategic departments in the premises to brief members of staff on the development, said new security measures had been put in place.
According to him, there had been security alerts that key government institutions, including the National Assembly were likely to be attacked on Tuesday.
He added that because the management did not want to be taken unawares, it had introduced the security measures as a safeguard.
Part of the measures are that visitors to the National Assembly will be thoroughly screened, while members of staff without identity cards are to be turned back.
The open air public browsing of the Internet at the lobby of the National Assembly was also suspended temporarily.
This measure also applied to shuttle bus services by private operators within the National Assembly.
In place of the shuttle services, the management said that it would provide buses to convey members of staff in the interim.
On Monday, security was slack at the National Assembly for most part of the day. Vehicles drove into the complex easily, while there was no heavy presence of security operatives.
Adejokun said, “We have received text messages and security reports that have indicated that the National Assembly is a possible target.
“We have also come to the conclusion and are making arrangement to restrict visitors who come to see senators and honourable members.”
“We are going to take measures that will restrict the movement of shuttle buses into the National Assembly as well as to thoroughly screen all those who come into the complex.’’
Adejokun said that measures would also be taken to introduce tags that would give visitors access to the different quarters of the complex.
He urged members of the National Assembly press corps to endeavour to comply with these directives to avoid embarrassment from members of the security department.
“We have concluded arrangement to install surveillance cameras in places before the end of the year,’’ he said and added that “we are not going to take this issue lying low.’’
At the Federal Secretariat, THE PUNCH learnt that officials at the secretariat were alerted to a warning to evacuate civil servants.
The over 1,000 workers, including policemen who ran away from their duty posts, refused to go back to their offices even when they were assured that the rumours were false.
A middle level worker in the Ministry of Aviation, who spoke to one of our correspondents, said he had to run when he saw his colleagues leaving their offices in fear.
“ When we came to work this morning, there was serious rumour that some people had planted bombs around the Federal Secretariat,” he told one of our correspondents.
Another worker with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, who pleaded anonymity , said, “ You see, nobody wants to die. We heard that some people had planted bombs around the Federal Secretariat.”
The Federal Secretariat, which is located along the Shehu Shagari Way in Maitama, is in the same area as Eagle Square, the venue of the October 1 Independence Anniversary festivities.
Last Friday‘s twin bomb blasts, which claimed 14 lives and injured 66 others, occurred about 500 metres from the secretariat.
Our correspondent in Lagos noticed on Tuesday that the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria officials had started using the anti-bomb car scanners installed at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport a few months ago.
The scanners were installed at the airport after the botched attempt by a Nigerian, Mr. Farouk AbdulMutallab, to bomb a US airliner in December 2009.
Meanwhile, the Director-General, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Dr. Harold Demuren, said that the NCAA had issued directives for the installation of anti-ramp security barrier system at the nation’s airports.
This, according to him, is expected to check unauthorised entries through access-controlled security gates.
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