by ‘Jola Sotubo

The spokesperson of the Department of State Security Services (SSS), Marilyn Ogar has said that the department had received intelligence that a bombing would occur in Abuja 2 weeks before the incident.

Ogar said this during a press conference while revealing that the suspects apprehended in connection with the bombing were currently being investigated.

The explosion, which occurred on Wednesday at the Emab plaza in the Wuse area of Abuja, is said to have claimed over 20 lives while leaving several persons injured

She said:

“Investigation is ongoing, and of course we can’t begin to tell you what actually will happen so far, but we want to assure all Nigerians that as usual as we keep bringing the people and of course they confess, we will definitely bring them out for the general public to see them because there will be no need for us to begin to hide people any longer.

“We don’t want to be in hurry to reveal them now. We don’t want what happened when we were investigating the Nyanya incident to happen. So we are a little bit circumspect in whatever we do,” 

“For me, I don’t feel it is what anybody anywhere whether a Christian, Muslim, man or woman, should begin to condemn what the government is doing to rid the society of insurgency and all forms of criminality,” she noted.

The Daily Independent reports:

Ogar said the DSS had information two weeks ago that “they were planning an attack at a busy shopping mall or market”.

“Of course you know what the police proceeded to do with the market and so they had to go from one shopping mall to another trying to tell people to be more aware and to ensure that anybody that does not have any business within any shopping mall should not be allowed to go inside.

“So, everyday surveillance will go round the motor parks, markets, shopping malls and markets trying to ensure that the instruction we left behind must be adhered to and yesterday (Wednesday) the surveillance team was here up to about 12.30 p.m. observing and when they noticed that the management and the security people were actually enforcing it they had to retreat.

“And you all know that when the man tried to penetrate the main entrance and when he was refused because normally as is typical of them they will want to beat traffic or beat security to come to the other entrance.

“When he tried to enter through here and of course the explosion exploded.

Ogar added: “We want to plead with Nigerians to please continue to give us information that will assist us to stop these people.”