Suicide bomber’s cell-phone recovered from scene of blast

Investigators have recovered the cell-phone of the suicide bomber that attacked the office of ThisDay in the Jabi area of Abuja on Thursday.

The charred phone was among the items that were picked up by security agents, who examined the remnants of the Isuzu Sports Utility Vehicle used by the bomber in carrying out his deadly mission.

Apart from the phone, bomb fragments and other clues were extracted from the wreckage of the vehicle for forensic analysis.

A source told our correspondent that a forensic analysis of the SIM card content would be done to provide clues to the identity of the bomber and the conversations that he might have had with his accomplices and sponsors before setting out for his target.

The source said, “The recovery of the burnt phone is a boost to ongoing investigation of the incident. We can only hope that the SIM card is not damaged in the blast. If it is intact and we explore it, we should be able to extract useful information from it.”

Our investigations show that the attacks on the media house by suspected members of the Jama’tu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati Wal-Jihad sect, also known as Boko Haram, has put severe pressure on security agencies in the country.

The ease with which the bomber was able to penetrate the Federal Capital Territory, in spite of the deployment of sophisticated equipment by security forces and the existence of many security checkpoints across the city, is giving the Federal Government a cause for concern.

The government was said to be disappointed with the security agencies over Thursday’s twin attacks on the offices of the This Day and The Moment newspapers, especially the attack on Abuja, which showed that security in Abuja was not as water-tight as the security chiefs had claimed.

A senior security officer told our correspondent that the acquisition of hi-tech equipment had given the government confidence that Boko Haram would not be able to access and attack any target in Abuja.

The source said it was widely believed in official circles that high-profile equipment deployed at the entrance and exit points of the FCT, as well as potential targets, such as the Nigerian National Petroleum Towers and the Force Headquarters, would have detected Improvised Explosive Devices hidden in vehicles.

Armed with this information, as well as additional intelligence from the security agencies, the Federal Government had given assurance to the international community that it would overcome the security crisis in the country by June, 2012.