Israel offers to assist Nigeria fight terrorism

Four days after the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta threatened to launch fresh attacks on oil installations and political gatherings in the country, Israeli Minister of Public Security, Mr. Itshak Aharonouvich, said on Thursday that his country was ready to collaborate with Nigeria in the fight against terrorism and terrorism financing.

Aharonouvich spoke at the end of a closed-door meeting he had with the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mrs. Farida Waziri, in Abuja.

Nigeria recently enacted an anti-terrorism bill to confront the rising cases of terrorist acts in the country.

The bill outlaws actions of individuals or groups that can be linked to terrorism, including kidnapping, oil bunkering, piracy and airplane hijacks.

It prescribes a maximum sentence of twenty years imprisonment for offenders, or death penalty if there is a loss of life in any terrorist act.

Just on Tuesday, the House of Representatives passed the bill for an Act to establish the Office of the Coordinator on Anti-Terrorism. The bill seeks to empower the Coordinator to enforce any law regulating terrorism in Nigeria.

Aharonouvich said Israel had a long experience in fighting terrorism and the threats it posed to national security.

The Israeli minister noted that Nigeria was currently facing threats from terrorists and different forms of terrorism, adding that his country would collaborate with Nigeria to fight terrorism by creating working teams on both sides.

On Monday, MEND threatened to attack oil installations and political gatherings in Lagos, Abuja and the Niger Delta. On Tuesday night, a facility belonging to Agip Oil in Bayelsa State was reportedly blown up. MEND on Thursday claimed responsibility for the attack.

Suspected terrorists on October 1, 2010 detonated bombs in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, near Eagles Square, venue of the country’s 50th anniversary celebrations. About 13 people died in the explosions.

On March 3, twin explosions at a Peoples Democratic Party rally in Suleja, Niger State, killed at least 13 people and injured 20 others.

About 18 other people were also said to have gone into coma as a result of the explosions.

Unidentified persons inside a moving 18-seater bus were said to have thrown the explosives into the crowd of PDP supporters at the fenced Government Secondary School, Kantoma.

Most of the injured victims, were members of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Nigeria Security Civil Defence Corps and other security outfits drafted to maintain law and order the venue of the rally.

Aharonouvich who led a delegation that included his country’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Moshe Ram, said Israel already had a bi-lateral agreement with Nigeria to combat terrorism financing and insecurity.

Waziri, in her response, said regular capacity building programmes for EFCC operatives would be of great assistance to the commission.

“Given the present state of security concerns in Nigeria and the growing problem of corruption, including financial crime, there is an urgent need for enhanced cooperation between the Israeli law enforcement authorities and the EFCC,” she said.

The EFCC boss said the commission was currently working with Israeli law enforcement authorities to train its operatives in the areas of terrorism financing, money laundering, assets tracing and tracking.

Waziri added that she had met with a couple of Israeli firms with expertise in crime fighting technology.