The United Nations under-secretary for security, Gregory Starr, has laid the blame of Friday’s attack on the UN House on the lapses in the nation’s security, saying that the security of UN agencies and organisations around the world reposes on the host country.
Speaking to newsmen yesterday in Abuja, as a follow-up to the bomb explosion that claimed 23 lives, Starr stressed that though the UN does reinforce each host government’s effort with its own internal efforts it’s the host government’s responsibility to provide security for the staff.
He said the attack on the building could be blamed on extremity of the attackers who are also opposed to the UN stance against terrorism.
He said, “You should ask the people who did the heinous crime.
United Nations in Nigeria is a group of humanitarian agencies and development agencies.
A vast majority of the people that work in UN Nigeria are Nigerians.
The others are international staff that come from around the world.
What does UN do here? We fight poverty, we provide healthcare, polio vaccination.
We try to develop programmes in line with the MDGs – the development goals that the UN is trying to achieve round the world.
So is it proper and right that this type of operation that the people that are engaged in, humanitarian and development efforts, would avail themselves to help others in this country should be attacked? There is no excuse.”
According to Starr, the UN never expected this kind of attack in Nigeria as the security measure that he thought was low to medium proved to be incorrect.
“We have taken the responsibility of the security of our personnel very seriously. It is a combination of the protection and services we get from our host government and the type of things we do for ourselves.
“Every dollar we spend on security is money that isn’t going to healthcare, isn’t going to development programmes, isn’t going for the type of things that the UN is expected to do.
So we are very careful to analyse where we spend our security money.
We looked to this country and we believed that this was a low to medium threat situation.
This is not the type of country where we expected this type of attack.
“In spite of the surrounding attacks, we saved a tremendous amount of lives.
We mourn every person that we lost and we mourn with all the families of those that are injured.
Overall, the security measure that we thought was low to medium proved to be incorrect.
We need to take further measures in future.”
He also disclosed that the federal government, which is conducting the investigation, has asked the American Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for assistance.
“We did have CCTV cameras up, but it is my understanding that the servers and the recordings of the CCTV cameras were in very close proximity to the blast.
So we are trying to recover the images from them and that is the Nigerian government and the FBI’s responsibility. We hope we can get some images from them. We typically do not release those images.
In future, the Nigerian government may, but we typically do not release those images.”
On whether the UN would compensate victims, the UN resident coordinator, Mr Daouda Toure, said the body would be looking into the provision of that disposition to deal with the various categories that it has.
He appealed to the media to help propagate the mission of UN that it’s a universal mission attending to all the people that it’s here to serve.
“We are not partisan. We work on universal principles, making sure that everybody’s human right is respected,” he said.
Meanwhile, fresh rumours making the rounds in Lagos State that members of the Boko Haram are hatching plans to blow up the Third Mainland Bridge in the state yesterday prompted security alert at the bridge and other potential targets in the state.
LEADERSHIP learnt that the Third Mainland Bridge, big shopping malls, the Lagos State government secretariat and other strategic locations have been placed on high security alert amid fears of terrorists’ bomb attacks in the locations by the group.
A heightened terrorist attack from Boko Hara, which started last Friday in the state, was said to have come up again following alleged fresh threats by the group in leaflets dropped overnight that the bridge would be blown-up immediately after the Eid-el-Fitri, a celebration that brings to an end the holy fasting month of Ramadan.
Armed police officers in their large numbers were seen in various strategic locations in the state with their vehicles.
At the Lagos state government secretariat located in Alausa, armed policemen have been deployed to replace plain clothes security operatives that used to man the entrance gates to the secretariat.
The rumour of the planned bomb blasts had, before now, hit people’s mobile phones through SMS and email addresses.
The alert simply read, “Lagosians are advised to please stay off Third Mainland Bridge and its territory; there is unconfirmed report of supposed bombing in Lagos within 24 hours after United Nations House blast in Abuja.
“Information is from first suspect arrested in connection with the blast of UN Building. The law enforcement agencies are working to revert or ensure minimal casualty and safety. Military roadblocks and other emergency measures might result in traffic congestion. Other alternative routes usage is advised; please rebroadcast and save a life in Lagos.”
Reacting to the security situation in the state, the commissioner of police, Lagos State command, Mr. Yakub Alkali, said there was urgent need to beef up security in the state.
He pointed out that the state security chiefs in their last state security council meeting agreed to commence operations to sanitise the state ahead of the ‘ember’ months to make it a safe haven for the teeming residents.
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