Nigeria Police said the warning by the United States and the United Kingdom in a travel advisory to their citizens of possible attacks on soft targets by Boko Haram in FCT, Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa and Yobe states is real.
“The threat to attack the city is real. However, we want to assure members of the public that we are working in collaboration with other security agencies to ensure that we all enjoy a peaceful Yuletide,” FCT, Commissioner of Police, Sadiq Bello said during a stakeholders’ forum organised in Abuja on Thursday.
He however added that the police would work with other security agencies to ensure that the threat is not actualised.
“The Americans and British government warned us of an impending threat and it would be stupid of us not to do anything. God will not forgive us if we don’t do anything and that is why we are here,” Bello said.
He added that the Police is already implementing measures to stop the attack: “We are doing a lot but we don’t want to mention the strategy so that the men of the underworld don’t take advantage of it.
“We are doing a lot, especially with our sister security agencies. We have already mapped out strategies and we have already commenced that.
“It may involve massive raids, massive visibility policing, vigorous stop and search and we would also embark on intelligence gathering.”
He also urged members of the public to come forward with information that would help prevent the attack.
“Police work is not magic; we depend on members of the public to make contribution and that is why we are urging members of the public to come up with useful information that would help us nip crimes in the bud.
“If they see people of questionable character and suspicious movement, they should come to us quickly because we want to take necessary measures to prevent the actualisation of the threat,” Bellosaid.
The Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris had directed the CPs to hold stakeholders’ meetings to come up with measures to stop the threats.
Idris had directed Commissioners of Police, Assistant Inspectors General of Police and personnel in the states to be on red alert.