President Muhammadu Buhari had an emergency closed- door meeting with the heads of Security Agencies directly involved in the planning and execution of the latest round of brutal clampdown on members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria to appraise the degree of success of the scheme and to plot a fatal blow.
Those at the closed-door meeting include the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Mohammed Adamu; National Security Adviser, Maj.-Gen Babagana Monguno ( retd) ; and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Ahmed Rufai-Abubakar.
The National Intelligence Agency (NIA) has been directly responsible for the design of the recent strategy to completely eradicate the Islamic Movement in Nigeria lately. It was NIA that was responsible for the botched assassination attempt of the leader of the Islamic Movement, Sheikh Zakzaky in India, during the later’s medical trip early this month. Again, it was the NIA that took centre stage in the planning of the Ashura attacks earlier today across the Nation.
The initial plot involved getting their men to dress like Shi’ites mourning the Ashura rite, and detonate multiple bombs in many public areas in the course of the processions. Similar plot earlier carried out with the police as the executioners wasn’t smartly done by the police, according to the NIA sources.
Coded signals were sent and all field officers were in place for the operation. However, the early conduct of the procession in various places took them by surprise in spite of their supposed “backup sims” and “triangulation with contacts.” The alternative plan then was deployed, inflicting “maximal force.” The NIA’s nodes within the Movement appeared to have been outsmarted and outwitted.
The Presidency had to therefore summon an emergency meeting of the Security Chiefs to appraise the repeated failure to wipe out the Islamic Movement. The Presidency, it is expected, will read the riot act to the Security Chiefs.
Meanwhile, in a related meeting with Buhari in the Aso Rock earlier, Maj Gen AB Mamman (retd) met behind closed door earlier. It was thought that the meeting had to do with the proscription of the Islamic Movement and the health condition of Sheikh Zakzaky. There were no comments by either party on the purpose of the visit or what was discussed.
Maj Gen AB Mamman was on the delegation of the Nigerian Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) that met top military Chiefs at the center stage of the genocide in Zaria in December, 2015 some few days after. At that time, the NSCIA had requested to be given access to the Sheikh, who was thought to be in the custody of the Nigerian army at the time.