The Niger Delta

Friday, September 15, 2006

MEME: Why September 11 terror attacks may not happen in Nigeria

Hello and welcome to my first meme.
I am a new Nigerian blogger and this meme is meant to introduce me to the Nigerian blogging community as well as increase our blogs interlinks.

This Meme is for Nigerian bloggers to write about 9/11 and terrorism and its posibility of occurance in Nigeria.

Thinking about the 9/11 attacks 5 years ago in the US, and the events leading to it, I kept wondering if it could have been prevented, or, at least, minimized.
Since I don’t live in the US, I might as well wonder till eternity. But bringing it home, could such an incident happen, the way it did, in Nigeria? (I mean, even if Nigeria provoked General Osama bin Laden the way he alleged America did)

Considering the relatively poor security system, absence of security and monitoring technology, internal turbulence – linked, sometimes, to religion and the fact that Sheik Osama bin Laden once mentioned Nigeria in his broadcast, one might just say “yes”.

But they are some friends I asked that gave me shocking reasons to think it might not happen that way in Nigeria. Their reasons are presented here, and I look forward to hearing yours:

Ramzi Yousef:

Eight years before the 9/11 attacks, the World Trade Centre (WTC) was bombed. Its master minder – Ramzi Yousef - fled and was arrested two years later in Islamabad, Pakistan in the company of his uncle, Khalid Sheik Mohammed, (KSM) who would later become the architect of the 9/11 terrorism. At then, security operatives did not arrest KSM because…there weren’t any evidence against him.

But, in Nigeria, the last thing the police need to arrest you is evidence. That you are related to the friend of an uncle to a criminal is enough to get you behind bars.

Ali Mohammed:

The double-faced agent, so central and instrumental to the sophistication of Al-Qaeda was even more audacious in talking about his rendezvous with the group, but he wasn’t arrested until much later when the evidence piled up.

Again in Nigeria, if the police get to know you are privy to information leading to a fugitive, forget it, evidence or no evidence, you will be stoned behind bars.

Also, When Ali Mohammed was arrested in a hotel room in California before the attacks, he was allowed to use the bathroom where he, as he latter confessed, destroyed evidence linking him to Al Qaeda.

But in Nigeria;
  • you will be very lucky to have a bathroom near where you were arrested and
  • you must be a king to be allowed to use it.

Sheikh Omar Abdulrahman (The blind Sheik):


The FBI couldn’t make up their mind to arrest the Blind sheik despite links to terror plotters and illegal immigration. He was the person who allegedly gave Osama bin Laden the Fatwa to kill Americans.
In Nigeria, you may not be in trouble when you threaten to kill Nigerians but if you find yourself going against the powers that be, even people in your village are not save.

In conclusion The American policy for human rights and justice is good and the absence of this in Nigeria is what I am trying to decry here.
However, sometimes what is right is not always appropriate and may leave room for lots of regret.
That's it folks, my view on terrorism in Naija.
Another reason someone mentioned to me was that they may not see any skyscrapper to strike.
But that's our opinion, what's your?

I have browsed a number of Nigerian blogs inviting bloggers to join in this meme. I am also willing to write on any topic if anyone should invite me.
You don’t even need to leave a comment here, thought I will ask you to, just write the post on your blog and link to this, every one will see it and read your view.

Thanks, hope to hear from you soon.

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5 Comments:

  • thanks for the response.
    I think the N delta militants came 2gether strongly bços politicians equiped them for electoral reason. and the people are not just sitting down most don't know whom to blame.
    but the meme is on imaginary terror on naija, not from the ND militants.
    thanks anyway.

    By Blogger Emeka, at 12:46 PM  

  • I dont think there is a posibility of a similar occurence in Nigeria, because the problems we have in Nigeria is not a problem that can provoke terrorism of sept 11 nature.

    But it is a clear problem of leadership and policy implemetation brought about the colonial masters and inherited by the present generation of our current leaders and these virus had eaten deep into fabrics of the society and this is manifesting in form of curruption and other eveil vices that is not good for the unity of the country.

    The virus needs to be taken out because a system that avoids peaceful change impossible is making a violent change inevitable.

    This is I believe is currently going on in our own Niger Delta and I dont expect it to go beyoind the current magnitude, because the goverment had seen the hand writing on the wall.

    Therefore, clearly, the reasons for september 11 attack is borne out of political and religeous extremism or the problems between the middle east and the Americans.

    By Blogger wande, at 12:57 PM  

  • Good blog with the right sense of direction.

    9/11 can happen anywhere and Nigeria was once mentioned by Osama bin Laden as one of his targets for terrorist attacks. But God will not let the devils to succeed in the Almighty name of Jesus Christ our Saviour and Messiah. Amen.

    God bless.

    Orikinla osinachi

    God bless.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 7:23 PM  

  • Hello Emeka
    I just dropped by to say Thanks for the comment U posted on my blog http://queenzy.wordpress.com

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11:08 PM  

  • Nice blog and your writing style is commendable. Keep it up.

    By Blogger Allen, at 5:18 PM  

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