Nigeria: Security boosted over Christmas against Boko Haram Islamist terror attacks

Fearing attacks by the al-Qaeda affiliated Islamist militant group Boko Haram over Christmas, Nigerian police said on Sunday they had ordered extra patrols, surveillance and covert operations to better secure potential targets during the festive period.

The militants have struck every Christmas for the past 3 years, most dramatically in 2011, when they bombed 3 churches. One of them, on St. Theresa Catholic Church in Madalla, on the edge of Abuja, killed 37 people and wounded 57.

“All the strike forces and specialized units of the force have been adequately mobilized to provide water-tight security,” police spokesman Frank Mba said in a statement.

“Covert operations, round-the-clock surveillance, and patrols are being intensified, while particular attention is now constantly paid to strategic public places, including places of worship, recreation centers, shopping malls and both federal and state government installations.”

The country’s president Goodluck Jonathan, has been criticized by the opposition, and media for not adequately protecting civilians during the 4-1/2 year insurgency.

The Boko Haram believes Christians are infidels who must be converted or killed. A wave of church attacks around early 2012 raised fears they were trying to trigger a sectarian civil war in a country with the world’s largest mixed population of Christians and Muslims, although the feared reprisals never materialized.

Source: Reuters