[UPDATE] US, UK, Others’ Advisories: Terrorists could abort Abuja plan, target other cities – Col Stan-Labo

Col Hassan Stan-Labo (rtd) is a counter-terrorist expert with huge operational experience spanning his participation as part of the Nigerian contingent to Liberia, Sierra-Leone, The Darfur and Bakassi Peninsula.

He is a card carrying member of the Labour Party and currently serves as the National Security Director for The National Obidient Patriots – a mobilisation platform for the Peter Obi Presidency come 2023. In this interview, Stan-Labo speaks on terror advisories on Nigeria as issued by the US, UK, Canada and Australia among other countries, and the forthcoming elections. Excerpts:

For several weeks now, there haven’t really been any serious security issues, leading us to believe that, for a change, our security services appear to be getting it right, and suddenly the rude shock coming from Australia, the US and UK that terror attacks were imminent especially in Abuja. What is your assessment?

Like you clearly pointed out, for weeks now there’s been some level of respite or relative calm generally. This can only be the result of hard work and renewed commitment by the military and sister security agencies.

Such calmness within a multi-terrainal theatre as Nigeria doesn’t just come cheap. The military must be getting it right and at great sacrifice. It must be said too that state actors at the political strategic level have, of late, felt threatened over their personal security and safety in Abuja as insurgency gradually showed signs of pitching their tents. The advisory therefore of likely imminent attacks by terrorist on Nigeria should be taken seriously.

These are nations with far better intelligence capabilities than we have, and if, on a friendly note of exchange, we are privy to such advisory, we should take it serious and desist from our usual talk of “being on top of the situation,” when, in actual fact, citizens are dying.

So what do we do now?

We should accept the advisory in good faith, revisit our operational strategy and do some fine-tuning, activate some proactive operational lines of action aimed at mitigating the threat; the Defense Intelligence Agency could do an internal review of its activities and readjust task descriptions, timelines and identification of landmarks for some strategic units.

Let’s be clear about what a terror advisory is and why it became necessary in this regard?

Like every advisory, terror advisory is a piece of information on terrorism given or shared by friendly partner-nations as part of diplomatic exchange. Depending on its contents, relevance and peculiarity, such advisory could as well be meant for citizens of the issuing country with additional directive on lines of action to take.

This particular advisory became necessary because the fight against terrorism necessitates a global action which nations are committed to.

They share information and offer operational and humanitarian assistance where and when needed but on request.

Americans have now followed up by evacuating their non-essential embassy staff. What does that suggest?

The evacuation of non-essential staff from the United States embassy should be a pointer to the level of seriousness attached to the advisory they shared with us. They have informed us and expect that we shall take all necessary lines of action in mitigating this threat.

They have done what every responsible government should do in keeping with the social contract the US government has with its citizens. This social contract rests on a bipot made of the security component and the welfare component.

The government has only demonstrated its sense of commitment to protecting the American people by the withdrawal of its non-essential staff at the embassy. This we know to be very strange to our leaders who carry on as masters and not servants to the people.

A report suggested that a terrorist escapee from Kuje Prison found around the US embassy in Abuja triggered the alert. What is your perspective?

I’ll not be surprised at such information. Insurgents are quite grounded in surveillance, intelligence gathering and propaganda. Their cells are quite alive and actively supported by the enabling fertile ground and soft landings Nigeria presents at every turn.

What could an escapee be doing within the precincts of such a restricted area? What are his real intentions or motives? Security agencies should be able to extract valuable information from him.

I am sure that you read government response through the Information Minister who kind of dismissed the advisory. What do you make of that?

I listened to the Minister of Information displaying his ignorance and usual naivety on every important issue. Irrespective of our perception of the messenger, our concern should be the weight of the message he is conveying. For no reason should we take this advisory for granted.

We should respond to it accordingly by doing the needful. This administration is well noted for its lackadaisical and lay back attitude over urgent matters of state requiring immediate attention.

This ingrained attitude should not be visited on this advisory. As far as the Minister is concerned “We are on top of the situation” and all is well.

Opinions are divided on the advisory. Some people said it is for the nationals of affected countries. Do Nigerians have reason to bother?

Being a security advisory of this nature, it is meant for both the host nation and citizens of the issuing country. It calls for lines of action by both governments in the protection of their citizens.

The US government has commenced preparations for the evacuation of non-essential staff within its affected embassies in line with its protective responsibility over the safety of citizens. Yes! We must be bothered.

We must start tongue-lashing our government into action from this moment before it gets too late. The ongoing flood disaster is a good example of how a 2012 advisory from Cameroon received by previous administration was handled.

Now tell us the various scenarios of terror attacks that are possible following the advisories of this nature?

In 2014, Hakes and Partners Ltd, a private security risk management company I run, informed the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC), the military and several other relevant government departments of the likelihood of a change in tactics by insurgents.

In that advisory, it was mentioned that the belligerents would be taking on fresh targets unexpectedly with the determination to achieve higher casualty level, abduct persons and cause gross damage to national infrastructure. The targets included the rail sector, the leisure sector facilities like hotels, restaurants, resorts, cinemas, sports venues, etc.

These are still the various areas we should expect attacks in addition to opportunity targets. They are getting emboldened by the day and would, therefore, not hesitate to take on the seat of power in the states or the Villa in Abuja to prove a point.

Is it in all cases of advisories like these that attacks follow?

No, not at all. Ongoing dynamics playing out within the battle space or polity could avert such attacks sometimes. Where severe proactive measures are put in place could make such likely attacks impossible.

But when you approach such advisory with a Lai Mohammed mind set – “we are fine, no cause for alarm” – you would then be taken by surprise.

The US embassy advisory was specific in terms of the timeline. It said within one week from Sunday. Does it mean that after the timeline nothing happens, we should go about our businesses with nothing to worry about?

No, you don’t let down your guards after the one week timeline mentioned in the advisory. You have a least gained some information on the enemy’s line of thought or intent. This you could leverage upon in your planning.

Now to politics, you have apparently pitched your tent with a presidential candidate ahead of the 2023 polls. Why? And does it mean if the candidate wins, you are ready to utilize your wealth of experience in the military to help resolve our security challenges if called upon to serve?

Our country has gone through a circle of serially failed leadership emanating from a selection process that throws up the very worst amongst us into leadership positions. This has gone on for too long not because we lack men with the right attributes of competence, capacity capability and character, but because such men deliberately avoid the political space out of perception.

I have given a thought to participation in politics and come to the conclusion, after due consultation with family and close associates, that it would be morally wrong of me to sit and watch my country sink into oblivion when I know that my little contribution could help pull us out of mess we’ve sunk into as a nation in the last eight years.

My 31 years of service in the military availed me a wealth of cognate experience cutting across administrative responsibilities, operational and logistics. My operational experience covers four international operations under severe and challenging weather and terrain conditions in Sierra-Leone, Liberia, West Darfur and The Bakassi Peninsula.

This experience today avails me better understanding of the security situation in our country and I feel strongly committing it as a payback to my country for all it has done for me. Therefore as a few persons of astute character began to emerge on the political scene with presidential ambitions, it became imperative listening to them address Nigerians on their vision and plans for a better Nigeria.

Of the lot, Peter Obi remained refreshingly different and hit all the right cords with me. His plans to transform the economy from a consumer to production economy, governance cost savings strategy, plans for energy growth, plans for food security, unemployment just to mention but a few. In view of these I became convinced to offer my support to his candidature on the Labour Party platform where I currently belong. I am currently the National Security Director of the National Obidient Patriots – a nation-wide mobilisation platform for the OBI-DATTI Presidency. We are currently doing a great job in Lagos State penetrating the grassroots and hinterlands in conjunction with the state Labour Party Chairman, Chief Olukayode Salako. In response to your question, yes, I am ready to serve in any capacity if called upon by Peter Obi because for me it’s payback time, we have a duty to reclaim ownership of our country from the hands of leaders turned looters, oil thieves and pilferers of our collective patrimony.

Peter Obi will provide that right leadership and sense of direction needed to pull this country from the doldrums. He’s got the competence, capacity, capability, character and integrity. His prudence profile and positive frugality will help cut down the cost of governance through the elimination of waste and leakages.

It is like all attention is focused on Abuja where you now have security beef-up, stores closed. Is it possible that these potential terrorists could shift their targets to other major towns or even cities across the country and there is equally need to beef up security in these places?

Definitely nothing can be ruled out under the present circumstance. The terrorists would always go for your C of G (centre of gravity.) Remember they are also very good tacticians and strategists. On knowing that all attention is concentrated on Abuja, they could pull a fast one by diverting to our national business hubs like Kano, Lagos or Kaduna.

These are places which, if attacked, could be injurious to our national interest. So, what is required of us now is general state of alertness, serious security beef-up all over the country. Consciousness of citizens should be heightened immediately.