Nigeria – Police Chief Warns of Possible al Qaeda Terror Attack

Nigeria’s security services were on high alert on Saturday after a warning from the police chief that Al-Qaeda could be planning a bombing campaign in Africa’s most populous country.

“The Al-Qaeda network has planned to send time bombs to Nigeria,” Inspector General Mike Okiro told senior officers on Friday at a meeting in the south of the west African nation, according to several newspapers.

Okiro, alerted the nation yesterday that Al-Quaeda terrorists network plans to send time bombs to Nigeria and destroy the nation’s economic and infrastructural concerns.

Okiro gave no more details of the threat or of possible targets but ordered security checks to be upgraded across the west African country, particularly at seaports, airports and land border points.

Nigeria has never suffered an Al-Qaeda attack but since a large proportion of its population is Muslim, and since it is home to various armed groups, US officials see it as being at risk of such activity.

Nigeria, is the world’s eighth-largest oil producer, so an attack there could have a darmatic effect on global oil prices.