We Warned Shopping Malls In Abuja Of Impending Terror Attacks, Says DSS

The Nigeria Police has enjoined shopping malls and other public places to put in place a stricter regime of access control.

The Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Frank Mba, made the call when he visited the scene of Wednesday’s bomb explosion in Abuja.

According to Mba, the placement of strict access control regime would deter would-be suicide bombers.

“It was this level of access control here that even saved the situation. We want to encourage Nigerians, particularly managers of busy business malls, cinema houses and other big corporate entities that record a lot of visitors to help us by instituting a strong and strict access control regime, a strong, efficient and effective control, enough to serve as a deterrent to would be suicide bombers.

“Secondly, we want to encourage citizens, especially owners and managers of business malls to go a step further by installing CCTV cameras in their places of business. If we have cameras in places like this shopping mall, it will be of strong investigative value to security forces, as we commence investigations into the incidence”, he said.

Also speaking at the scene of the blast, spokesperson for the Department of State Service, DSS, Marilyn Ogar, described the incident as sad.

She added that the DSS surveillance team was actually at the plaza on the fateful day to ensure compliance with its security guidelines and only left there at about 12:30pm, a few hours before the blast.

“It is a very sad incident. Two weeks ago we got intelligence report about a planned attack on a market and a busy shopping mall in Abuja. We went from one complex to another to create awareness and ask them to meticulously scrutinize visitors.

“Every day, our surveillance teams went out to those malls and markets to ensure compliance with our guidelines. They were here yesterday (Wednesday) till about 12:30pm when they left. It is worthy to note that without such guidelines in place, the casualty would have been higher because the suspects were actually denied entry”, she said.

Ogar added that two Turkish nationals were among those injured in the blast.

Meanwhile, the DSS has revealed that it has picked up the suspected sponsor of the 486 intercepted travelers to Abia State.

According to Ogar, the suspected sponsor was picked up in Bauchi state and is now being transferred to Abia state.

The DSS, however, called on Nigerians to be more security conscious, explaining that security forces had made useful arrests and consequently working to round up others.