By M.J. Smith | AFP – Tue, Nov 8, 2011
A US warning over possible attacks on hotels in Nigeria's capital over the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday was based on specific and credible information, an American diplomat said Tuesday.
The diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity, would not reveal the source of the information regarding potential attacks by Islamist sect Boko Haram, but said the US embassy had no choice but to warn its citizens.
Its unusually specific warning was issued in the wake of Friday's coordinated gun and bomb attacks in Nigeria's northeast, claimed by Boko Haram, that left some 150 people dead in one of the deadliest operations attributed to the group."We certainly took it very seriously," the diplomat said of the information included in its advisory.
"Given the specificity and the credibility of the threat, we really felt we had no choice but to give our best counsel to Americans."
Security has been put on high alert in the capital Abuja which was last hit in August when a suicide bomber attacked UN headquarters, killing 24 people.Nigerian authorities have called the US warning about potential Abuja attacks as "not news."
The Nigerian ThisDay newspaper quoted a senior security official chief calling the warning "insulting to us as a nation."National security adviser Andrew Azazi said in a statement that "for over three months the security services have taken pro-active measures to protect the designated critical facilities and others."
The US diplomat said the embassy did not consult with the Nigerian government before issuing its advisory a sit had wanted to act as soon as possible to warn US citizens."The US embassy has received information that Boko Haram may plan to attack several locations and hotels in Abuja, Nigeria, during the Sallah holiday," the advisory said.
"Potential targets may include the Nicon Luxury, the Sheraton Hotel, and the Transcorp Hilton Hotel."
Eid al-Adha (Festival of Sacrifice), also referred to as Sallah in Nigeria, was marked on Sunday, but Monday and Tuesday were also public holidays.
The diplomat spoke of Boko Haram's "increasingly sophisticated, increasingly lethal" attacks in Africa's most populous nation and largest oil producer.
"I think it's a trend which we've seen over the past year," he said.There has been intense speculation over whether the group has formed links with foreign extremists, such as Al-Qaeda's north African branch.
The diplomat said there had been signs of individual links, such as Boko Haram members seeking training in foreign countries, but no proof of operational ties.
"The evolution of the group unquestionably though has made it clear that we need to step up our security procedures." he said
On Tuesday in the northeastern city of Damaturu, the main target of Friday's deadly attacks, residents recounted harrowing details.
The violence, including a number of suicide bombers, badly damaged police headquarters in the city as well as an anti-terrorism unit building, while half a dozen churches were bombed.
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