Boko Haram planning to bomb Apapa seaport, police warn

     Western Ports Command of the Nigeria Police has raised the alarm over threat by the Boko Haram sect to bomb Lagos, with the nation’s seaport in Apapa as its likely target.Commissioner of Police in charge of the Western Ports Command, Mrs. Hilda Ibifuro-Harrison stated this at the inauguration of new executives of the Maritime Reporters’ Association of Nigeria (MARAN) in Apapa, Lagos.She stated that based on intelligence report it received three months ago, the deadly Islamic sect could be planning to bomb Lagos and possibly target the seaport.

      “We are not taking the threat lightly at all and we encourage all stakeholders who visit the port to keep their eyes and ears open in case of the activity of the sect,” said Ibifuro-Harisson who was represented by the Assistant Commissioner in charge of administration, Salem Machree.She said as part of measures put in place to check the threat, the Police had beefed up security within and around Lagos including the port environment, just as she disclosed that Police would remain alert and vigilant at ensuring that the violent sect did not hit the ports.It will be recalled that at least four persons were confirmed dead, when two explosions suspected to have emanated from an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) went off near the Folawiyo Energy Depot on Creek Road, Apapa on June 25 this year.

Unconfirmed reports quoting witnesses at the scene of the explosion said the blast occurred after some persons suspected to be bombers set off the twin explosions.

     In a video release in July, leader of the violent Islamic sect, Abubakar Shekau, claimed responsibility for the two explosions, according to Agency-France Press reports.Speaking at the same event, Area Controller, Apapa Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Comptroller Charles Edike said the service collected N950.1 billion as revenue into the federation account from January to November 2014. Edike said the figure was 23.4 per cent higher than the N769.3 billion collected in the corresponding period of 2013.Besides the amount collected, he said the NCS also saved the country N36.9 billion collected under the one per cent Comprehensive Import Supervision Scheme (CISS), which would have been paid to the three former destination service providers.

     Also speaking, representative of the Customs Comptroller General, Comptroller Frances Enwereuzor, while congratulating the new executives of MARAN, said the role of the media in the development of the maritime sector could not be overemphasized and must be discharged with great sense of responsibility and dedication to duty.She urged the new executives to continue to promote the existing relationship between MARAN and the NCS.Via..tribune