| A scene of the bomb blast that rocked Nigeria’s 50th Independence Anniversary celebrations |
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Debris from the October 1 twin car bombings in Abuja have been sent to the United States and the United Kingdom for further forensic investigation.
THE PUNCH learnt this from a sources in the intelligence community on Sunday.
The debris, comprising fragments of the exploded bombs and the wreckage of vehicles affected in the blasts, were flown out of the country on Tuesday.
One of the sources, who asked not to be named because of the sensitive nature of the investigations into the blasts, said the debris sent to “well- known forensic laboratories” in the two countries
When asked to name the laboratories, he declined, saying the investigators did not want anything that could hamper their determination to unmask those behind the incident.
The source added that the outcome (result) of the forensic examination was expected to be a closely guarded secret. Asked when the result would be out, he replied he was not in the position to determine that.
He said, “The materials were sent to US and the UK for analysis to help the security agencies in their investigations.
“The debris were sent to top forensic laboratories, these are guarded secrets, no one knows. We expect that it won’t take a long time for the analysis to be carried out; the outcome or result is going to be a top security document, so I don’t know when the report will be returned to the country.”
THE PUNCH also learnt on Sunday that security operatives had compiled a 700-page document detailing conversations between those behind the bomb blasts and their allies.
It was also gathered that some of the suspects had made confessional statements, which the operatives found useful in their investigations.
Our sources said that Nigeria Intelligence Agency had teamed up with the State Security Services because of the gravity of the blasts.
Nine people are currently detained by the SSS in connection with the bombings. The Director-General of Ibrahim Babangida Campaign Organisation, Dr. Raymond Dokpesi, was quizzed last week over the incident.
One of those arrested (name withheld), is said to have strong links with the leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, Mr. Henry Okah, who is standing trial in South Africa for his alleged role in the blasts.
One of our sources said that security operatives had discovered that a suspect reportedly collected $30,000 from a top Nigerian politician. A Nissan Murano was also recovered from the suspect.
He added that security operatives were trying to establish the source of the money used by the suspect to buy the Murano.
He also said that security agencies were looking in the direction of a former governor in the ongoing investigations into the bombings.
According to him , the NIA and the SSS have obtained documents containing the communications between Okah and some top politicians that are under close watch and some of the youths arrested after the blasts.
He explained that the SSS decided to release Dokpesi to avoid undue politicisation of the incident.
The source said, “We cannot be involved in politics. This is a national security matter and we are determined to get to the root of it and ensure that those behind it are brought to justice.”
Meanwhile, the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties and the Action Congress of Nigeria have called on the Peoples Democratic Party to caution its presidential aspirants over their comments on the bombings.
The CNPP and ACN said in separate statements on Sunday that the ways the aspirants had commented on the blasts were capable of overheating the polity.
But dismissing the fears, the Senior Special Assistant to the PDP Chairman, Mr. Ike Abonyi, said that the party was more concerned about the lives lost to the bomb blasts.
Abonyi, who said that the incident should not be politicised, added that the PDP was encouraging the government and security agents to fish out the perpetrators.
The CNPP had in its statement said, “The PDP presidential aspirants must in good conscience, natural justice and for the survival of our fledgling democracy and security of our dear nation stop the dirty war forthwith.”
It added that “ Our appeal is for national unity because it is our considered view that the dirty war is the intra-battle for the soul of PDP.”
According to the group, “The provocative utterances, foul language, inflammatory comments, unpatriotic and reckless statements from the combatant factions and drums of war are capable of undermining national security.”
It said that comments by the “Chief Olusegun Obasanjo camp, the Northern Leaders Forum, Northern Political Summit, Ijaw National Congress, the President Goodluck Jonathan/Sambo Campaign Organisation, the IBB Campaign Organisation and other sundry groups mutating on daily basis,” indicated that the struggle for the soul of the PDP was the reasons for the reactions that had trailed the blasts.
The ACN, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said instead of rallying Nigerians behind the President, PDP members had thrown caution to the winds and turned the President into a butt of jokes around the world with the call on him to resign or be impeached.
The ACN said the call was the fallout of the “dangerous internal wranglings” within the PDP over who flies the party‘s flag in the 2011 presidential poll.
It said, “At a time that the opposition has maintained a dignified stance, it is within the PDP - a house divided against itself – that an ultimatum has been issued to the President to resign or be impeached.
“Had the call been made by the opposition, it might have been understood. But coming from within the PDP? It is obvious that this party has collapsed hence it is incapable of providing leadership to the country.
“Even the usually-cohesive North is now sharply splintered over the lingering issue of zoning, hence the discordant tunes over whether or not President Jonathan is capable of leading the country. This is unfortunate.”
The party added that the internal problems of the PDP “will ordinary not concern us but for the fact that it is now threatening national peace and security.‘‘
The ACN also said that Jonathan must refrain from making comments that could be misconstrued to mean that he wanted to divert attention from the real culprits or point accusing fingers at his political opponents.
Also on Sunday, the Director of Media and Publicity of the Jonathan/Sambo Campaign Organisation, Mr. Sully Abu, has said that Dokpesi was never considered as the director-general of the organisation.
According to him, there was no way the President could have considered the media mogul, who also hails from the same geo-political zone like himself for the job.
“The attention of the Goodluck/Sambo Presidential Campaign Organisation has been drawn to certain utterances by the Director- General of the Babangida Campaign Organisation, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, to the effect that he was suffering an imagined political persecution because he declined to head our campaign organisation,” Abu said in a statement.“
Abu also said that the Director- General of organisation, Sen. Dalhatu Tafida, would leave Abuja on Monday (today) for Sokoto to commence a nationwide “meet-the-stakeholders” tour.
The tour , according to Abu, is designed to pay traditional courtesies on eminent citizens in the various states to acquaint them with the desire of Jonathan and his deputy, Alhaji Namadi Sambo, to offer themselves as nominees of the PDP for the 2011 presidential elections on a joint ticket. |
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