Us Marines Arrives Abuja Over Insecurity?

US marines are in Nigeria to help the country’s security
services tackle increasing threats, TheCable understands.
Nigeria is playing host to the 7th World Economic Forum
Africa in Abuja next week amid heightened security
challenges.
The summit is expected to be attended by over 10 heads of
state and government as well as over 900 delegates from 70
countries. Presidents of Algeria, Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana,
Kenya, Liberia, Mali Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania and
Togo have confirmed attendance. Former British Prime
Minister, Gordon Brown, and former President of Brazil, Lula
da Silva, are expected to attend.
Also, over 50 chief executives of big global corporations have
confirmed attendance. However, because of recent blasts in
Nyanya – on the outskirts of Abuja – there have been
heightened fears of a possible terror attack during the
summit.
Nigerian government has been assuring the world that it would
provide maximum security, announcing a complete shut-down of
schools and government offices during the summit.
TheCable reported on Tuesday that a 6,000-strong personnel,
made up of soldiers and other security agents, will be deployed
in Abuja – the heaviest security for a summit in Nigeria. The
US marines have already arrived the country, according to
sources in the know of their movement.
“They are not going to be directly involved in the World
Economic Forum event,” a senior American security source told
TheCable. “Their brief is to train the Nigerian security
services. It should be expected that Nigerian agents will
handle the security of the summit.”
The marines are highly specialised soldiers who have been
deployed in areas affected by serious conflict and terrorism,
such as Afghanistan and Iraq. They are described in Wikipedia
as “an amphibious, expeditionary, air-ground combined arms
task force, capable of forcible entry from the air, land, and
sea.
It is capable of asymmetric warfare with conventional,
irregular, and hybrid forces. While the Marine Corps does not
employ any unique combat arms, as a force it can rapidly
deploy a combined-arms task force to almost anywhere in the
world within days.”
Meanwhile, TheCable has learnt that some of the extra
security measures for the summit include:
Immediate deployment of the high security operation as
against previous plans to deploy them from Tuesday Expansion
of secure zone perimeters at key locations (initially limited to
250 metres radius) Additional security at venues, Abuja
airport and key roads, as well as on dedicated shuttle services
to and from the airport and between venues..
SOURCE:- TheCable.ng
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