• Attack sponsored by prominent Nigerians, says agency
• South-South leaders meet over explosion
AT home and abroad, the Federal Government in partnership with its allies, has initiated a man-hunt for and prosecution of suspected masterminds of last Friday’s twin-bomb blasts during the celebration of Nigeria’s golden jubilee in Abuja.
In South Africa, former leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), Henry Okah, was yesterday arraigned in court over his alleged role in the attack. The State Security Service (SSS) in Nigeria also hinted that it had held nine persons in connection with the incident.
The search for the masterminds of the attack is not being restricted to the militants’ camp as the country’s security agencies said that some “unscrupulous prominent Nigerians” were also involved in the blasts.
Meanwhile, as the crackdown gathers momentum, the Director-General of the IBB Campaign Organisation, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, has been arrested in connection with last Friday’s bomb blasts.
Sources told The Guardian last night that Dokpesi may have been arrested by officials of the SSS in the early hours of Monday following two Short Message Service (SMS) text messages sent to the Smartphone of one of the suspects already with the Police asking if Dokpesi had “paid the balance” and another SMS text message inviting another suspect to a meeting at the IBB Campaign office.
The text message read: “Have you collected the balance from Dokpesi?” Dokpesi’s arrest brings to 10 the number so far arrested.
A security source said the Africa Independent Television (AIT) boss was being detained for interrogation by the security agencies, following “a text message found in the phone of one of the arrested suspects. The second text read: “Let’s meet at IBB campaign office.”
Said the source: “This was said to have sent alarm signals across the nation’s security apparatus, since the suspect concerned is considered to be neckdeep in the bombing. This has led to what security operatives referred to as a high-tech sting operation which in a matter of hours has netted a wider ring of suspects.”
It was also alleged that one of the suspects who never knew he was already under surveillance confided in a friend: in pidgin English “na we do am…, meet me make I brief u.”
It was also alleged that one of the suspects confirmed that in the last two weeks he bought a brand new Muraino Sport Utility Van (SUV) from funds allegedly received from Dopkesi.
One of the suspects allegedly confessed to have received a directive from Okah that they should destabilise the government since President Jonathan “was not ready to put serious money on the table.”
President Goodluck Jonathan has repeatedly assured that the government will fish out the persons behind the car bombing near the Eagle Square, venue of the anniversary celebration. At a dinner in Lagos on Saturday, Jonathan said an external terrorist group sponsored the attack.
The President said the government would do everything possible to bring the perpetrators of the heinous acts to book.
Prior to the SSS’ disclosure of its arrest of more suspects, the Police had on Sunday named two suspects - Ben Jessy and Chima Orlu - as the attacks’ “masterminds” and also declared them wanted.
Police spokesman Emmanuel Ojukwu, warned that it is a crime for anyone to harbour the suspects.
According to South African prosecutors, who charged Okah with terrorism yesterday, said he was directly involved in the deadly bombings in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) during the Independence celebrations.
At the court hearing in Johannesburg, prosecutor Shaun Abrahams said Okah was a senior member of MEND, which claimed responsibility for the dual car bombing that killed at least 10 people in Abuja last Friday.
Okah’s counsel, who has been living in Johannesburg since 2009, says he has denied any involvement and that they will argue his arrest is unlawful. Okah was arrested in Angola on September 3, 2007 and later repatriated to Nigeria in April 2008 to face treason charges for allegedly levelling war on Nigeria stockpilling weapons to overthrow governments of some West African countries and other charges. After a long period of detention, he was released unconditionally by the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua government on the proclamation of the 2009 Amnesty programme in June.
Okah made no comment at yesterday’s hearing. His lawyers said he feared for his life in a central Johannesburg jail, worried another prisoner might try to gain notoriety by attacking him. The judge said arrangements had been made to hold Okah in a private cell last night, and that he would rule on whether to move the Nigerian to a jail he considered more secure.
Abrahams presented a charge sheet accusing Okah of breaking South African counterterrorism laws by participating in the bombings.
“We will be interacting and have been interacting with Nigerian authorities,” Abrahams told the court. One Chris Iroala, who identified himself as an official at the Nigerian consulate in Johannesburg, was in court yesterday, often standing at the prosecutor’s side. Iroala refused to comment on the case.
The court postponed Okah’s bail hearing to October 14. At home, the SSS said nine people linked to Okah had been arrested.
Until the Federal Government’s amnesty for the militants in 2008, MEND was at the forefront of the destruction of oil pipelines and kidnap of oil workers in the Niger Delta. It had accused the government of doing nothing to end poverty in the oil-rich region even though it is the nation’s major revenue producer.
The SSS said it was collaborating with other security agencies to unmask the “unscrupulous prominent elements in the society” e behind the bombings.
“From the suspects we have been able to find out that there are some prominent Nigerians who hired them,” it said.
SSS Assistant Director of Public Relations, Marilyn Ogar, who addressed a press conference on the matter in Abuja yesterday, however, said the agency was not disposed to revealing the identity of the suspects who are telling the authorities the reason behind the dastardly act.
Her words: “So far, nine arrests have been made and all have direct links with Henry Okah, the incident and some unscrupulous prominent elements in the society. Due to on-going investigations, the names of the suspects and their sponsors cannot be disclosed at this stage.
“Because if we do that at this stage we would have foiled our own attempt at getting to the main perpetrators,” adding that disclosure might jeopardise the process.
According to her, the overriding objective of the group is to scare foreign visitors from attending the anniversary celebration on October 1, 2010.
Ogar explained that the SSS had prior information from sister foreign agencies that Nigeria was going to come under some form of attacks, but lamented that the agency lacks the needed personnel to carry out its tasks effectively.
“After the September 11 terror attack in the United States (U.S.), we share intelligence with other countries. Intelligence is no longer the reserve of any particular country. So we had information from other foreign nationals concerning our own internal security.”
On President Jonathan’s comments alleging foreign involvement in the bombings in Abuja, she said “recent incursions into some North African countries have all pointed to the Al-Qaeda. So when our other foreign collaborators assess the situation in North Africa and the sectarian crisis we have had in some parts of Nigeria, of course, it was apparent that Al-Qaeda might want to make an attempt at Nigeria.”
She disclosed that nine security men from various security agencies including the EFCC, NSCD among others lost their lives during the blast. Of this number, she said the SSS lost an Assistant Director, Staff Development and five other personnel who are in critical condition in the hospital.
Ogar said the security measures put in place to ward off the terrorists were highly effective, hence mainly operatives died in the process of protecting innocent Nigerians.
Speaking further on what the service did to ward off the attack, the SSS spokesman explained that it collaborated with other sister agencies in the country to effectively foil the blasts which, she disclosed was to be hatched last Wednesday,September 29, 2010.
“Of course, you know that the SSS does not have the manpower to be able go round Nigeria, but we collaborated with the military, which provided us with trucks, we collaborated with other agencies as it pertains to what they were supposed to do as it concerns this operation,” she said.
In her account of how the SSS carried out the task of foiling the plot, Ogar said: “On Tuesday, 28th September, 2010 at about 0130 hours, information was received that the three arms zone was to be bombed and six vehicles had already being prepared for the purpose. Consequently, we contacted the military, which provided us three towing trucks that were added to that of the SSS and immediately, joint operations commenced.
“During the operations that lasted from 0215 hours to 0630 hours of the same date, a total of nine abandoned vehicles were towed away. Of these, two were near the SSS headquarters; two facing the Villa gate and the National Assembly; two close to the Police Headquarters, one at the Eagle Square; and two around Apo Legislative Quarters - they were all towed away.
“Subsequently, the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) and the Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO) were co-opted into the operations, to move around the FCT towing away abandoned vehicles.
“This effort, which lasted till the morning of October 1, 2010 saw 65 abandoned vehicles removed. It is worthy of note that of the seven vehicles removed from the Three Arms Zone, four are yet to be collected.
“When the Plan A of the group was foiled, they resorted to the penetration of the Eagle Square in an attempt to plant explosive devices. However, the SSS deployed hi-tech equipment in and around the Eagle Square and jammed the detonation of any of such explosives.
“On 1st October, 2010, the Eagle Square and its environs were effectively cordoned-off and appropriate measures were put in place by the joint efforts of all security and law enforcement agencies to prevent any untoward incident. However, the rain of that morning provided the leeway for double- parking by motorists. In the process, the perpetrators apparently gained access to park on the road side as well.”
Ogar said from investigations so far carried out, the agency had established that some prominent Nigerians hired the suspects to carry out the attack.
“From the suspects we have been able to find out that there are some prominent Nigerians who hired them.”
The Police had earlier said they were holding one suspect, a foreigner, and were hunting down two Nigerians thought to be the masterminds of the attacks, but it was not clear if they were among the nine.
Okah, was arrested on Saturday in Johannesburg, the day after twin car bombings.
Online Statements in the name of MEND, have claimed responsibility for the bombings.
Ogar said the arrested suspects “have direct links to Henry Okah, not MEND.”
Meanwhile, the South-South Leaders and Elders Forum yesterday met in Abuja to discuss the incident. Briefing reporters ahead of the meeting, leader of the forum, Chief Edwin Kiagbodo Clark described the blasts as “unfortunate”, but absolved the MEND of complicity in it. Clark said Okah and other militant groups are not involved in the explosion.
He said: ‘’Henry Okah and others could not have been involved because they have all accepted the amnesty programme offered by the Federal Government. It is an unfortunate incident and we pray for the families that lost their loved ones that God will give them the fortitude to bear the loss.
‘’Mr. President should not be disturbed, MEND no longer exists. Anyone who says MEND is involved is wasting his time’’, Clark said.

more confusion.