Counterterrorism: Federal Government Moves To Tighten Control On IED-making Materials

The Nigerian Government has restated committedness to tightening power connected the question of Improvised Explosive Device (IED) materials, which remained the deadliest menace to troops and civilians successful the North-East region.

The National Coordinator, National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), Maj.-Gen. Adamu Laka, stated this astatine the specialised grooming for archetypal responders and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit connected Tuesday successful Abuja.

The grooming was organised by NCTC successful mentation for the multi-agency Crisis Response Exercise codenamed Exercise Rapid Response 2.

Laka said the grooming was aimed astatine gathering the capableness of weaponry technicians, information agencies and exigency responders to detect, defuse and respond swiftly to IED threats crossed the country.

He described IED arsenic the “weapon of choice” for violent groups, noting that galore troops had been maimed oregon killed by specified attacks successful the North-East.

“What we are doing present contiguous is bringing unneurotic archetypal responders to bid them connected however to respond to assorted IED threats.

“At the NCTC, portion of our mandate is to guarantee that materials utilized for producing IEDs are decently controlled,” helium said.

The NCTC brag explained that the insurgents had shifted tactics, exploiting materials easy sourced successful the unfastened marketplace arsenic good arsenic unexploded ordnance.

“Anything that has to bash with ammonium successful peculiar is simply a concern. That is wherefore the question of urea fertiliser to the North-East is restricted, due to the fact that ammonium tin beryllium extracted from it and utilized to nutrient explosives.

“What the insurgents past began doing was to improvise unexploded ordnance, utilizing unit plates, batteries and adjacent mobile phones arsenic detonators.

“That is wherefore we proceed to modulate the question of specified materials portion grooming responders connected however to observe and neutralise them,” helium added.

Laka besides underscored the relation of exertion successful amplifying Nigeria’s counter-IED capacity, stressing that changeless innovation was needed to enactment up of evolving violent tactics.

The C-IED grooming was portion of Exercise Rapid Response 2, a situation simulation workout nether the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), designed to fortify Nigeria’s situation absorption model and inter-agency cooperation.