Terror Attack Alert: Abuja Residents Shun Malls, Others

Terror Attack Alert: Abuja Residents Shun Malls, Others

by Victor Ndubuisi
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Businesses in the capital city are starting to feel the effects of the unease in the Federal Capital Territory brought on by the terror alerts issued by the United States and the United Kingdom, Anaedoonline.ng learned on Saturday.

Although the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (ret. ), and the various security agencies have repeatedly reassured the public that there is no need to panic and that people should go about their daily lives without fear, many Abuja residents appear to be avoiding large gatherings, shopping centers, and entertainment venues in response to the alerts.

When our reporters traveled to various areas of the city, they observed that some major roads had less cars, and several parks and rest areas had few visitors.

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The Berger, Wuse, and Gwarimpa sections of the city, as well as the normally busy Lokogoma Road, are less congested with cars, commuters, and walkers.

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Additionally, the Shoprite Mall in Apo and the Novare Centre in Wuse, which used to be bustling with activity, saw fewer customers on Saturday than usual.
Numerous other shopping centers that our journalists visited experienced the same issue.

Employees at some of the malls told our reporters that since the terror alert was announced, sales and customer traffic had decreased.

Under the condition of anonymity, a salesperson at Novare Centre claimed that, in contrast to the previous several days’ level of patronage, just a small number of people have visited the mall.

Apo, a different employee at Shoprite Mall, mentioned that her manager was thinking about closing the store owing to weak sales. However, there was no connection between this and the expense of operating the stores as there were no sales or customers.

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Betty, a shopper at Shoprite in Lugbe who only revealed her first name, saw that attendance was down from the previous week.

She said, “The mall is somehow dry today. If you were here last week, you would easily know the difference. People sometimes come around to take pictures outside but they are very few today. Also, people used to be in a queue to buy bread at the mall, but today there was no queue. I also noticed that the payment point which used to be crowded had very few people.”

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One of our reporters also went to the famed Magicland Amusement Park and Tiger Bar in Lugbe, where there weren’t many people having fun.

Aminu Muhammad, the director of the National Children’s Park and Zoo, stated that the park searched visitors and shut down at 6:30 p.m. to ensure that everyone got out “in good time.”

He stated, “We make sure everyone going in is checked thoroughly, and if we suspect anything, we report it immediately. You noticed we have an army checkpoint before you got here, so we are in constant synergy and we close in good time, at 6:30 pm.”

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One of our reporters saw two armed police officers and private security guards at the Millennium Park’s entrance. The park continued to close at 6 p.m. as usual, according to a staff member.

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One of our reporters observed five bouncers with tactical gear at the gate in Central Park.
While two others used electronic detectors to scan people and vehicles, one of them was walking a dog on a leash.

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At several locations in the park, there were two armed police officers and other security personnel dressed in tactical gear. It was unsuccessful to get the manager’s attention since he refused to comment, claiming that he was busy.

In the interim, Julius Berger, a construction firm, has stopped doing business in the capital.

The company advised its staff to avoid visiting public places over the weekend in a statement released on Saturday by its managing director and corporate security manager, respectively, Lars Bichter and Poul Nielsen. The company also noted that temporary relocation to other locations may be considered.

The statement added, “It is advised to avoid all public events within the FCT environment, including supermarkets, restaurants, hotels, bars, clubs and other areas where many meet. This advice is applicable from 28.10.2022 in the evening until Monday, 31.10.2022 in the morning.

“It remains possible to move to other JBN work or residential locations throughout the weekend. Your safety is our primary concern.”

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The second company to cease operations after the terror alert is Julius Berger.

Following the alerts, Sunday PUNCH noted that the military had set up roadblocks at a number of areas, including Kabusa Junction and Wumba in the Lokogoma District.

This was in addition to the existing counterintelligence activities by the Department of State Services and other intelligence agencies, as well as the patrol by soldiers, police, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.

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Additionally, our reporters saw police officers in Abuja’s Wuse, Gwarimpa, Kubwa, Apo, and Berger neighborhoods.

FCT police spokesman Josephine Adeh explained the increased security as a tactic to raise the spirits of the locals. She emphasized that there was no reason to be concerned.

She stated, “There is no cause for alarm in the FCT. The heightened patrol by our men is to boost residents’ confidence, although we have always had our patrols even before now. We urge residents to go about their lawful business peacefully.”

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Meanwhile, allegations that bombs were being put throughout the FCT have been debunked by the Force’s headquarters.

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Force Public Relations Officer Olumuyiwa Adejobi issued a statement on Saturday urging people not to spread the rumor, adding, “I don’t think it will do our country any good to continue circulate such stories to further generate further panic among citizens and residents of the FCT and Nigeria at large.

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“We reiterate that the Federal Capital Territory is safe and there is no imminent threat, neither is the FCT being saturated with bombs as speculated in the news. We, therefore, urge residents of the FCT and Nigerians at large to disregard this fake news which was purportedly sponsored to create fear in our people and heat up the polity.

“We will continue to adopt all effective operational strategies to decimate the activities of non-state actors and other criminal elements in the country.”

Meanwhile, Unity Advocacy Group, a civil society organization, voiced optimism on Saturday that the Armed Forces and other security authorities will effectively respond to the terror alerts issued by the US and the UK.

Ifeanyi Aigbedion, the convener of UAG, declared in a statement that the nation’s adversaries will lose the fight.

 

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