Boko Haram Commanders Attack Police Anti- Robbery Squad Offices In Abuja

A group of well-armed gunmen earlier today carried out an attack on the Special Anti -Robbery Squad detention facility in Garki area 11 in Nigeria's federal capital Abuja.

The detention center used by the Nigerian police to hold high level violent criminals was attacked in a brazen manner by the attackers from the Boko Haram sect. The center reportedly holds some senior commanders of Boko Haram including the wife of the Kabiru Sokoto, the Christmas day Catholic church bomber in Suleja, Niger State.

Police spokespersons did not respond to calls regarding the attack. SaharaReporters learnt the police authorities are too embarrassed to discuss the attempted jailbreak  twenty four hours after the sect attacked a military church near Kaduna killing at least 10 people including military officers.

Plain clothed policemen have cordoned off the area preventing reporters from taking pictures. A photo journalist from Daily Independent newspaper who attempted to take a picture of the scene of the attack was severely beaten by the police and immediately arrested and detained


source: SaharaReporters

40 gunmen attack Abuja police detention facility



Forty gunmen suspected to be terrorists in the early hours of Monday stormed  the office of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad in Abuja, where  suspects  were being held.

Two policemen and one of the gunmen were killed in the incident, the first of  its kind  in the Federal Capital Territory which had in the past recorded three bomb blasts.

The blasts were  on  October 1, 2010;  June 16, 2011;  and  August 26, 2011.

At least 30 detainees, including  some Boko Haram members,  were said to have escaped during the Monday attack on  the detention facility.

But the police denied that terror suspects were among the escapees. They also said that 25 of the 30 detainees had so far been rearrested.

The attack occurred barely 24 hours after twin car bomb blasts at  the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji, Kaduna State.

 The army authorities had on Friday  declared 19 Boko Haram leaders wanted and offered rewards of between N50m  and N10m for information that could lead to their capture.

A source in the police told one of our correspondents that the surprise attack on the detention facility, located around Abattoir, Garki in  Abuja was carried out around 2am.

It lasted for some minutes during which heavy weapons were allegedly  used by the gunmen.

 The senior police officer put the number of the attackers at about 40. “The attackers numbering about 40 came from the bush and attempted to overrun the facility but the valiant policemen on duty repelled them.” the source said...

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Abuja attack: Police tighten security at FCT Command Complex



A VERY tight security prevailed at the Headquarters complex of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) police Command following the attack on the premises of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad in Abuja on Monday.

When The Guardian visited the Command after the incident, a palpable atmosphere of alertness characterized the complex as armed Policemen and plain cloth operatives were seen patrolling the area adjoining the Nigeria Security, Printing and Minting as well as the former headquarters of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

At about 2am in the early hours of Monday, unknown gunmen in large number attacked the premises of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Federal Territory Police Command.

The Police, in a statement made available to the Guardian in Abuja said that in the confusion that ensued, about 30 suspects in the detention facilities of SARS broke out of the cells and attempted to escape.

But the Force Public Relations Office, Frank Mba in the statement said: “Tactical and coordinated efforts to re-arrest the fleeing suspects yielded instant result. So far, 25 of the suspects have been re-arrested, while five suspects originally being held in relation to robbery related offences are currently at large.”

He said: “Two Policemen died during the operation while two of the attackers have been arrested."

Mr Mba explained that no suspect held for terror related charges, escaped from SARS detention facilities.  The FPRO added that no  explosive or IED-related materials were used in the botched attack.

Source: The Guardian