The United States (US) is working closely with the Federal Government to establish a counter Improvised Explosive Device (IED) centre in Nigeria.
The centre which will be similar to one set up by Britain in Maiduguri, Borno State, is to help Nigeria contain indiscriminate production of IEDs and boost anti-terrorism war in the country.
Coordinator of the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) Maj.-Gen. Adamu Laka made this known during a symposium on Countering Improvised IEDs in Abuja yesterday.
The symposium was organised by the centre, a unit in the Office of National Security Adviser(ONSA) in collaboration with the US and British governments.
Maj.-Gen. Laka stated the Federal Government’s collaboration with foreign partners was yielding positive results.
He said: ”What is the new thing that they(US) are going to do now?
‘’Like the British Government has established a counter IED centre in the Northeast, particularly in Maiduguri, we are working closely with the US Government on that also.
“They(Britain and U.S) have been training our troops for the past four years; and this has greatly impacted the proficiency of our troops in identifying IEDs, preventing such incidents and also reacting after such an incident.
‘’Samples are taken from the IED site to our laboratory at the centre to find out those materials that are used so that we will be able to know where our focus will be on restricting such materials getting into the wrong hands,” HE told reporters.
The NCTC boss revealed that some suspected manufacturers of IEDs were already being detained preparatory to their arraignment. He also said that ONSA has taken steps to regulate the use of materials like urea fertiliser in the Northeast, which terrorists use to manufacture explosives
Experts identify IEDs as a major threat to troops, civilians and infrastructure in the fight against terrorism in the country.
The NCTC Coordinator said: “ Insurgents can get things like urea fertiliser from the markets to manufacture IEDs and so on. But we won’t relent on our part. We will keep educating the populace.
“And on punishments for those who are manufacturing these IEDs, we have identified a few and they are presently awaiting to go through the judicial process.
‘’We won’t just punish them on our own. Nigeria is a signatory to international human rights laws and best practices, and so on. So we will follow the rule of law. They are innocent until proven guilty. So we have to go through the judicial process.”
Maj.-Gen. Laka assured Nigerians that the NCTC would remain proactive in its approach to tackling the menace of IEDs in the country.
“We are developing a biometric database at the Office of the National Security Adviser. We are working closely with all the security and intelligence agencies. This biometric database is going to be used to identify those who are experts in manufacturing IEDs.
‘’We are working closely with the US and British governments on that and other security and intelligence agencies,’’ he said.
The NCTC boss stated that the symposium was both timely and critical as it provided a platform for experts and stakeholders to deliberate on innovative strategies to counter-terrorism.
He said: “Our collective goal is to enhance national capabilities in preventing, detecting, and responding to Improvised Explosive Devices incidents.
“The provision of external expertise in this field would also complement Nigeria’s experience and proficiency in assessing whether a National Counter Improvised Explosive Devices Strategy would be beneficial for implementation in Nigeria. We must examine the existing gaps, address the vulnerabilities in our operational environments, and improve coordination among key agencies.”
US Ambassador to Nigeria Richard M. Mills, Jr. said Washington would continue to assist Nigeria to defeat the challenging threat of IEDs.
Mills was represented by the US Defence Attaché to Nigeria. Col. Thomas Brooks