British spy chiefs said at the weekend that they had uncovered a plot by Al-Qaeda to make Nigeria their headquarters from where they could carry out attacks on Europe.
Also, members of the fundamentalist group, Boko Haram, were on the prowl at the weekend as they killed two brothers and another person in Maiduguri, Borno State, during an alleged house-to-house search for non-Muslims.
London-based newspaper, Mirror, reported Sunday that Prime Minister David Cameron had been alerted by the spy chiefs on the determination by the terrorist group to make Nigeria a base for plotting terror attacks on the West.
The report aligned the intention of Al-Qaeda with the attacks by Boko Haram whom they described as “dramatically stepping up their campaign”.
Mirror quoted an unnamed British official as lamenting that “there are dozens of flights every day from Lagos to London. We either help stop the terrorists here, or we will be dealing with them on the streets of Britain.”
However, there are only three direct flights to London everyday – by Virgin Atlantic, British Airways and Arik Air.
On Christmas Day in 2009, before Boko Haram became very threatening, an alleged young Nigerian Al-Qaeda operative, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, attempted to bomb a United States Delta airliner on its way to Detroit but was stopped by the plane occupants.
Last year, Reuters reported that an Al-Qaeda group in North Africa had offered to give Nigerian Muslims training and weapons to fight Christians.
"We are ready to train your people in weapons and give you whatever support we can in men, arms and munitions to enable you to defend our people in Nigeria," the statement by Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) said, according to the news agency.
It was signed in the name of Abu Mus'ab Abdel-Wadoud, who was described as the "emir" or leader of the group and appeared on Islamic websites that often carry statements from groups using the Al-Qaeda name around the world.
"You are not alone in this test. The hearts of Mujahideen are in pain over your troubles and desire to help you as much as possible in the Islamic Maghreb, Somalia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, Chechnya," it said.
Meanwhile,detachments of security agencies were at the weekend dispatched to secure the Jamata Bridge on River Niger, along Lokoja-Abuja Road and Itobe Bridge, linking Ajaokuta with the Eastern flank of Kogi State following intelligence reports that Boko Haram was planning to detonate bombs on the bridges linking the West and East to the Northern parts of Nigeria.
While confirming the presence of security agents at the bridges, the Kogi State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Ajayi Okasanmi, said it was part of proactive arrangement by the command to forestall any form of security breach. He assured citizens that Kogi State was not under any security threat.
“Security in Kogi is not under any threat. The security presence you noticed is part of proactive arrangement by the command to forestall any security breach,” he said.
However, a highly placed security officer, who confided in journalists, revealed that all security formations had been put on alert so as to prevent the state from attack and prevent the Boko Haram from settling down there.
According to him, following the clampdown on the Boko Haram up North, members of the sect were believed to be planning to infiltrate Kogi, Nassarawa and Niger States.
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