President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya
Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Chairperson, AU Photo: AU
Terror in Africa, terror in the world
In writing this article, the reader should know from the onset I’m in tears and heavy-hearted, yet grateful for all lives to God who created the whole universe and who alone, repeat, who alone can take life and has not delegated any created being-in this case, human or spirit being to on His behalf take any form of life, no matter how minute, for any reason/cause whatsoever, because as God above gods, He alone is God; and ONLY him is God Alone; so all powerful, all mighty, all great, all knowing. He alone is the greatest Warrior, General and War Lord, so is not weak in any least way as to request any being He has created to defend and subsequently kill on His behalf.
In fact, ALL humanity - believers, atheists and animists know He is not so weak as to solicit the help of any of His creatures or to recruit them to do any battle for Him or be involved in any human cause fighting for Him, for He is THE GOD that “A greater than cannot be conceived” (Anselm); He’s a Warrior, General, Strategist, a Defender that a greater than is unimaginable and the ALL-SUFFICIENT ONE! And if indeed, He’s truly God, He’s able to defend and fight for Himself and as I write, I can hear His voice reverberating across the vistas of time warning all humanity amongst who are terrorists of whatever hue, creed religion/faith realms and climes (Alqaeda, Al-Shabaab, Boko Haram, Ansaru, Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and ALL their financiers): THOU SHALL NOT KILL!
It has always been my contention that if there is a ‘God’ who cannot contend for himself and needs human beings to contend for him, then such a ‘God’ is not worthy of worship and fit only for the trash can.
On this note, my heart and that of our great team at Vigilance go out to all caught up in the Westgate madness, those who lost their lives, their loved ones whom they have untimely left behind through no fault of theirs, the great people of Kenya, President Uhuru and team, all members of the human family promoting universal altruism and human brotherhood in their various little corners across the globe and the entire humanity. As members of the broad human family, let us all collectively and severally resolve and affirm our common humanity and brotherhood to the shame of all death merchants, trumpeting and echoing this our universal resolution and affirmation that through the Black Saturday’s incident, the world is not divided, but united; the world is not in fear, but in strength; the world is not conquered, but invincible and we all remain colour blind in spite of our differences, and let us go on to shame the cowards and record for posterity that we are all Christians, Muslims; Hinduists; we are all Buddhists; Shintoists and Sikhs - yes, we are all members of other religions of the world; we are all believers; we are all unbelievers; we are all atheists; we are all animists; agnostics; we are all tolerant people accommodating the values and world views of even those we disagree with to the point of tolerating biological rebels amongst us, but we are all not terrorists, so are all not murderers, but each other’s neighbour and one another’s keeper! And what is more, we are all children of Abraham - so God’s covenant children.
Therefore, go, go tell it on the mountains, over the hills and valleys that all humanity is one; go, go tell it on the roof tops that all humanity is born and covenanted into the broad family of human brotherhood and when one of us is sick, injured or killed, we feel sorrow in our hearts and a permanent hole and pain are left us in a region of our souls. So tell those monstrous beasts in the blood band of terrorists – Al Shabaab, Al Qaeda, Boko Haram, Ansaru, Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghgreb (AQIM) and others of their ilk who have sworn to a deadly oath to turn our world into a field of blood by putting a sword on the string of life that holds us together as one to love and not to kill; tell them not as a plea, but as a command to make peace and not war; in the name of God, stop killing; in the name of God stop causing pain; in the name of God, stop hurting humanity and bringing pain and sorrow to families. Let the word go out to them today that violence is not a patented act or monopoly, so anyone can choose to be violent, but in the name of God, the Almighty, we have chosen love and peace above all else. Yes, I’d like for someone to say when I’m no more that I chose love; yes, I ‘d like for someone to tell posterity that at times like these, I chose love and peace instead of violence – yes, I choose to love!
At this juncture, I invite the entire human family while we are in tears for all the victims of the Kenya terror attack, let us not forget those 85 Christians in Peshawar, Pakistan whose lives were snuffed out of them by those whose zeal for God is not according to knowledge; the earthquake victims in Awaran, Pakistan, victims of other tragedies that go unreported daily and victims of other man’s inhumanity to man all over the world. Let them know whilst we wail for the victims of terror attack in Kenya, their pains are also boldly etched in our hearts and minds.
The Battle of Westgate
THE BLACK SATURDAY
The Westgate terror attack did not come to me as a surprise, because mine has been a voice crying in the wilderness calling on African leaders, and nations of the world to prepare for such a time and more deadlier attacks that are on the way soon and very soon to be carried out by these wild donkeys of the deserts, financed by Arab nations, particularly Saudi Arabia and their obsequies Muslim politicians, business people and the military in all nations of the world and in all realms and climes. In fact, it was as if I had a premonition of it as just the week before, I was consulting all books, documents and the internet on the origin of Arab invasion of Africa from the 7th Century consequent upon the islamization of some parts of the continent, North Africa, other parts of the continent displacing indigenous African values and languages of these pioneers of civilization and agriculture, technology, medicine, fashion, etc. Thus my question with respect to Kenya, not necessarily because that nation was involved in fighting the beastly, monstrous vampires called Al-Shabaab, was: “When will it happen?”
This question has become pertinent because I for one, Islam is making a comeback to nations of the world and seeking to gain unwarranted ascendancy in the global scheme of things through the entrenchment of Sharia in the statute books of nations of the world including introducing Islamic values either surreptitiously or through the instrumentality of violence. So it is really not because the West is occupying the Middle East and supporting Israel against Palestine or Kenya had teamed up with other African nations to fight agents of the global jihad-the mujahideen, hence the resultant vengeance missions in all corners of the globe, although, these could be taken as part of the superficial factors and as catalysts for the endemic terror attacks all over the world, hence I was stupefied and had to scream loud when the Kenyan security authorities on the first fusillade of bullets conjectured it was an armed robbery exploit at the exotic shopping Mall. Again, I for one did not need to embark on oracular consultation to immediately reason it was a terror attack and the handiwork of the blood-thirsty demons of the Al-Shabaab Islamist sect! And I have been vindicated, even though I put my reputation and integrity at stake by pointing to the direction of the pigs of Somalia on hearing about the pulsating gunshots at Westgate.
Although, the history of terror attacks or fundamentalism dates beyond Bible times, it appears to me, my integrity on the line once again, that modern strategies adopted by modern terrorists have made it very possible to predict attacks-they go for crowds, crowds, crowds, where their evil will attract maximum media spaces, analyses, global attention, etc; they are after critical national infrastructure; they go for very prominent people in nations of the world; they go for Christians and their places of worship; and when they want to confuse the untutored about their strategies, they go for Muslim and their places of worship; they go for where two or three are gathered to express happiness, not necessarily flaunting happiness/joy in an unbridled ostentatious way, but any form of happiness exhibited angers them because they are basically evil, monstrous, beastly, sadistic and satanic. Although, no matter how wealthy and prepared a nation is including having the best expertise, it’s not often easy to determine when exactly they will attack, but their target objects in all nations of the world are very obvious-crowds, crowds, crowds, national infrastructure, iconic buildings, pubs/bars, market places, hostels, five-star hotels/restaurants, schools, colleges, universities, international agencies and their buildings/offices, EMBASSIES/HIGH COMMISSIONS, anything that represent Christian and Western values, libraries, museum (which they regard as official shrines), military formations, police barracks, water bodies, transportation systems (buses, trains/tubes, airplanes, ships full of passengers), etc, etc.
Thus, the usual excuses by especially, African and other Third World nations that they did not know terrorists would attack here, there is simply too cheap for any persons entrusted with the security and defence of their nations to so display such gross naivety. When it comes to security matters, no wise expert should open their mouth and give all information on the pages of newspapers, magazines and on the internet, but very classified information and strategies of terrorists should be passed onto relevant governmental authorities. Having compiled the list of all probable places/persons/ objects of attacks, authorities of nations should not begin to ask such stupid questions as: “Will terrorists ever attack here?” But the sure security question must be: “When will terrorists strike here?”
In modern security planning, it is again very stupid to ask the question after having ascertained they will one day attack a particular target object, when will they attack this particular target object, for the very reason that if you think or they have told you they will strike in the morning, will they be stupid to come in the morning; if you think or the terrorists tell you they will strike in the afternoon, evening, will they be so stupid to attack at a time they think is known to you? Herein lies the need for a 24/7 strategic planning, implementation and surveillance (air, land and water ways including using helicopters) of all identified target objects, regular training and security updates backed by security facilities that could foil/prevent any likely attacks whatever time and place(s) and when they choose to attack.
Also, in tackling global terrorism, world leaders will do well to be humble and not embark on chest-beating exercise after an exploit or the killing of the leaders of particular sects as President Barack Obama has been doing and displaying his gross naivety as to saying a decade of war on terrorism had just ended. President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan of Nigeria is equally guilty of always resorting to this unnecessary self-adulation. In fact, from my crystal glass, decades of real war on terror have not yet begun, but if the real global and concerted war on terror does not begin now, then I ask: “When will it begin?” And when will that decrepit, moribund institution which also doubles as the silent sentinel erroneously referred to as the United Nations Organization establish as I have again and again suggested the establishment of an agency to be known and called the United Nations Counter Terror Force (UNCTF) or the United Nations Counter Terror Organization (UNCTO) or the United Nations Counter Terror Agency (UNCTA)?
Globally speaking, terrorists appear to be ahead of all security chiefs/agencies/personnel, it is worse in Third World nations. In Africa, what I see security chiefs/agencies/personnel doing on daily basis is simply running around ‘flapping’ their ‘wings’ like a headless chicken whose head had just been beheaded by a chief priest for a cleansing ritual in a village, wasting resources and dissipating their energies, fighting without strategies, without the needed training to make them be ahead of terrorists, and also, without the needed accoutrements and communications gadgets as it has just been witnessed seeing Kenyan security personnel at the Westgate hopping about aimlessly like wounded grasshoppers, moving lazily about, chitchatting and laughing when they were supposed to be wearing a very stern look in the face of such serious tragedy.
My observation from far away Britain is that, most of the Kenyan security personnel did not wear any protective helmets, nor wear bullet proofs, nor have radio and other communications gadgets needed for such a very grave Operation, instead some of them were seen with just mobile phones - shame on Uhuru Keyantta for not kitting his security personnel to international standards to meet a tragedy of such colossal proportion. This type of story about sending security personnel to the frontlines or battlefields without the necessary communications gadgets, accoutrements and training is replicated in the whole of Africa, to mention Nigeria, particularly. Yet corruption is so rife in that continent. Let me hasten to observe too that in some instances, where the Government had provided the money for the proper kitting of the security personnel as in Nigeria, such money is often diverted into the private accounts of the security chiefs, and because there’s no accountable mechanism coupled with the fact that there’s equally endemic corruption in the African media, security chiefs often get away with such official robbery, hence you see all Nigerian security chiefs and indeed, other African security chiefs obscenely rich at the expense of their hapless boys and girls and their nations. This truism was observed in the Kenyan security personnel at the Westgate - some of them looked as if they were just coming out of a refugee camp, where they were starved of food for years, looking very unprepared without any trace of gallantry displayed by them. In fact, some looked as if they were going to a disco/party, due respects to the normally plain-clothed security officers - or as if they were on the street preparatory to stalking Nairobi beauties! You know wora I mean?
A particular group that was watched on television by me on Thursday September 26th, 2013 going upstairs, unenthusiastically dragged their feet like a pregnant woman in labour, better still, like a one-day old duckling bedraggled by a heavy torrential down pour trying to keep pace with its mother who was equally dragging her feet uphill. Me thinks, a 100-year-old tortoise walking up Mount Kilimanjaro would have fared better in the face of a tragedy of such global scale!. In a particular scene, five soldiers were seen – three armed and the two not armed were chatting away...at a place which was supposed to be a battle ground. My question to the Kenyan army authorities and Uhuru is: “Did any one expect these two ‘disco-goers’ to confront well armed terrorists with their bare hands and feet?”
What again I can’t understand is, many security officers were seen always laughing in what ought to be a battle ground – can Uhuru and security chiefs tell the world and posterity why this was so? Uhuru certainly needs a new security chiefs and a new interior minister just as Jonathan of Nigeria does – and all those lazy-looking, always - laughing - officers must be fished out during a video analysis/review of the tragedy and be sent to the disco hall, where they best fit! Hang on a minute, why were the security officers quarrelling about who was to be in charge and from whom they should, or not, take orders at the scene of the national tragedy? Uhuru has just this week to flush out these crassly insensitive worms and elements. Lest I forget, is it true that some shameless security personnel were going about looting shops when they should be saving lives?
The lack or absence of all these as seen at the Battle of Westgate offers perspective on the fight against terrorists in Nigeria, where the Nigerian authorities have in the last four years been running, jumping around, hopping all over the place like bedraggled chicks deceiving themselves they are fighting ONLY Boko Haram, when in fact, they are now so many islamists sects in that country, in Kenya as well as in all African States including numerous cells in all the nooks and crannies of Nigeria, Kenya, and indeed, other African countries with their activities financed by local politicians, military personnel, traditional rulers, ex-Federal Officers as well as external financiers from the core Arab nations/core Arab world (CANs/CAW); peripheral Arab nations/peripheral Arab world (PANs/PAW); Arab nations by descent (AND); Arab nations by Muslim Ummah (ANMU), etc.
It seems to me that whilst terrorists mean business, certain political eunuchs and rock star politicians have taken delight in chest-beating, showmanship and self-adulation in the fight against terror, such that the pertinent question to ask some nations leaders at this juncture is: Do President Uhuru Kenyatta and his security chiefs know how many terrorists sects and cells there are in Nairobi/Kenya as a whole? Do lame duck - time and space wasting - President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan of Nigeria together with his shameless and cowardly security chiefs who run at the sight of an earthworm know how many terrorists sects and cells there are in Nigeria? Do political rock star and publicity-seeking President Barack Obama and his security chiefs know how many terrorists sects and cells there are in the US? Do the Vuvuzela Prime Minister David Cameron and his security chiefs know how many terrorists sects and cells there are in the UK? The same question can be asked of leaders of France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Yemen, etc.
But come to think of it, why has Kenya become the New Yemen for terrorists from all realms and climes to co-habit? Also, why has Nigeria – the most populous Black nation on the Planet Earth become the New Pakistan?
Having been advising the dunder-heads who pass for African leaders over the years of the need first, for African Security Summit (ASS), wherein a continental approach to this global phenomenon-terrorism will be fashioned to be followed by a continental policy/strategy on security - African Security Policy (ASP) or African Security Strategy (ASS) consequent upon the establishment of the African Counter Terror Squad (ACTS) or African Counter Terror Force (ACTF/ACT-FORCE), I had personally looked forward to the OAU/AU 50th Anniversary as a most auspicious time to so do, but what was of immediate concern to them during the anniversary meet was the trial or otherwise of Uhuru Kenyatta not at the International Court of Justice, the Hague, but at home in Africa, with everyone of them mouthing, chorusing and chanting it above genuine issues of grave concern to the continent - security amongst others, and the plights of all persons of African ancestry, wherever they maybe on the surface of the earth. On this occasion of the Westgate tragedy, with tears welling out of my eyes and with a heart full of sorrow, I want to again cry personally to all African leaders and the AU leadership inclusive, to call for an emergency continental security meeting, where a rapid continental response to fighting this menace will be discussed with a view to acting on this humble advise of mine and establish without further delay, all that have been here suggested:
*****My earlier article on this has hereby been reproduced: (Please see the highlighted) and full text below: THE PAKISTANIZATION OF NIGERIA BY THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Where is Shekau, M.D. Abubakar? My friend, where is Shekau?
Written by JOHN ODEY ADUMA, EDITOR AND BRITISH CHEVENING SCHOLAR | 10 June 2013
****And continentally speaking, there has to be sub-regional and continental co-operations to push back the forces of Islam and the Sharia-Creep in the continent. Such co-operation as having West Africa Counter Terror Squad (WACTS), East Africa Counter Terror Squad (EACTS), North Africa Counter Terror Squad (NACTS), Central Africa Counter Terror Squad (CACTS), South Africa Counter Terror Squad (SACTS) and a continental body to be known and called: Africa Counter Terror Squad (ACTS) with each holding a security summit as soon as possible culminating in a continental body to be known and called: Africa Security Summit (ASS), whilst the regional summits will be West Africa Security Summit (WASS), East Africa Security Summit (EASS), North Africa Security Summit (NASS), Central Africa Security Summit (CASS) and last, but not the least, South Africa Security Summit (SASS).
At international level, I’m by this platform proposing a Trans Atlantic Alliance Against Terror (TAAAT) or United Nations Counter Terror Organization (UNCTO) or United Nations Counter Terror Force (UNCTF) and the adoption of 9/11 as World Counter Terror Day (WCTD). But in the war on terror, the world may be able to scale down the scourge the day young Muslims the world over summon the courage to tell their Imams, Sheikhs and all those who might attempt to radicalize them the three-letter abbreviation: D.I.Y (Do It Yourself)!
The excuse Nigeria and other African nations often give regarding terrorism is that it is new. But all serious nations and continents since the 9/11, 2001 had planned ahead of time as to how to meet the new threats whenever it arrived on their shores. Nigeria particularly, cannot claim I have not been warning them since 1989 about religious wars, and by extension, Africa. In fact, during the 9/11, it was reported America traced a Nigerian who was connected with the plot to Kano and then in my capacity as Chairman Editorial Board of the Daily Times of Nigeria Plc I had warned the Nigerian State of the aftermath and what would eventually come with a strong emphasis that no nation could survive religious war. I ran a series of articles for eight weeks entitled: The pain in a region of my soul: They have zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. Yet when the United Nations Headquarters in Nigeria was bombed on August 26, 2011, former Police Commissioner Zakari Biu , said like a baby: “I did not know they would get there.” Also, I remember during the Madrid bombings of 2004, I wrote an article as a Columnist published in the City University of London’s Department of Journalism website called: City-side warning the whole wide world how terrorists would not spare critical infrastructure of nations and warning what was afoot was actually a global jihad and not just a one off vengeance against the occupation of Muslims lands by the West as often trumpeted by the monsters. Again, during the Malian coup de’tat of 2012, in fact, the very week the coup took place, I wrote an article calling on the African Union to act fast as the forces of Islam had already made a comeback to Africa, calling first, for the dislodgement of the coup plotters and then a continental approach to fighting terror, beginning at regional levels and subsequently setting up a continental counter terror squad. What is more, since the Boko Haram menace, I have been providing the Nigerian authorities with leads as to their whereabouts and how to root them out in a 12-hour operation, so the excuse that terror is new is not tenable.
In fact, since the 9/11, any nation and any individual that does not know emphasis has shifted from Climate Change to security is living in another Planet. What is more, in a globalised world, if a disaster/tragedy occurs in a part of the globe, the stupidest question to ask is: “Will it ever happen in my/our own corner of the globe?” The wise question ought to be: “When will it happen in my/our corner of the globe?”
HOW TO STOP THE UNNECESSARY RIFT/RIVALRY AMONGST AFRICAN MULTI-AGENCY SECURITY PERSONNEL
This is very common in Nigeria leading to my article published in Vigilance on April 5, 2013 entitled: ....( Home News Nigeria Watch International) Nigeria’s security, critical infrastructure at grave danger as security agents engage in power struggle….consequences of abandoning the constitution in the interpretation of roles. I’m therefore, not surprised that this ugliness also reared its head at Westgate when security personnel were reported to be wrangling amongst themselves in the face of such grave tragedy. What security agencies in all nations of the world, not just in Africa, must know is that, they are all in the business of protecting, preventing, saving lives and properties amongst others, so there is no need for rivalry of any kind; they must see themselves as a national security team working towards a common goal, hence each security agency together with their arrogant boss/commander/General/chief security officer must all see themselves as part of that national team.
Agreed that where there is no established or standing national squad or force to tackle emergencies it becomes difficult when every security outfit is called upon to deal with an exigency of the Westgate magnitude as virtually all the top officers will be competing for who really should be in charge directing events and giving orders. While this stupid and unpatriotic rivalry goes on, many lives who ordinarily should have been saved were lost, courtesy of that crass stupidity and professional arrogance.
To avoid this unnecessary rivalry, the Kenyan Government and those of other African States must without delay constitute a national security squad/force - the Kenyan Emergency Response Squad (KERS) or the Kenyan Emergency Response Force (KERF) or the Kenyan Emergency Response Services (KERS) or Kenya Emergency Response Agency (KERA) and if Nigeria – Nigeria Emergency Response Squad (NERS), Nigeria Emergency Response Force (NERF), Nigeria Emergency Response Service (NERS) to meet all national emergencies comprising all the various security agencies there are in the country and this too applies to other African countries and it could include the reservists, able-bodied ex-service personnel or legionnaires with a yearly rotational leadership from each agency, no matter how small. All the members of the national emergency team must be trained in the management of all forms of disaster including terrorism.
In addition to the emergency team/squad/force, each African nation must have their own Counter Terror Squad/Force and in the specific case of terror attacks, the head of the counter terror squad or the police chief must lead the Operations and the commanders of other security agencies together with their officers must statutorily surrender their arrogance and authorities to the leader of the operation – in this case, the counter terror commander or the police chief. But in any other type of national disaster/tragedy, the current commander of the national emergency team must lead the operations.
Again, in the course of reviewing the Operations of the Westgate tragedy, President Kenyatta and his team must examine to know the extent to which the said rivalry amongst security personnel deployed to the scene of the tragedy contribute to the loss of more lives, and mete out punishment accordingly - the punishment must be so severe as to make officers concerned lose their jobs for their unpatriotic act and unparalleled inhumanity.
SECURITY ANALYSIS OF THE WESTGATE SHOPPING CENTRE/SECURITY MODEL FOR ALL PUBLIC PLACES/OFFICES & HIGH PROFILE STORES IN THE REPUBLIC OF KENYA & ELSEWHERE (***This analysis/model is aimed at all African States and all nations of the world).
I have not been to Kenya, so will not lay claim to actual eye witness account/analysis of the security lapses of the WSC - whatever I will write here under the sub-heading is as I have watched on television from the United Kingdom, more so, I do not have an architectural knowledge of the complex, so I’m hazarding a blind security analysis here:
To start with, were there enough CCTV installed in and around the shopping complex? Are there blind spots and if yes, are these zones known to outsiders who may take advantage of them? What are the security facilities that the centre can boast of at the Main Entrance? How many entrances to the centre? Does the centre have a separate entry and exit gate or the same entrance serves as ENTRY & EXIT? If currently, there are separate entry and exit gates, both must now be collapsed into one-with the ENTRANCE serving as both ENTRY AND EXIT for all coming in and going out.
Does the ENTRANCE as it is currently, have security post at strategic location on entry with CCTV mounted on a lectern/podium known and called CONTROL STATION 1 having at least two security officers, be it private licensed security officers or the Kenyan Government security personnel? Since the country is faced with exigency, the Government security personnel should complement the efforts of the civilian security officers until normalcy returns.
Does every shop/store at the centre make provision for their own security distinct from that provided by the management of the Westgate Shopping Centre (WSC)? If the answer is NO, then the management of each store/shop within the complex must provide for their own security-contracting agency security who are licensed by the Kenyan Security Industry Authority (KSIA) - hang on a minute - at the moment, is there such a thing as the Kenyan Security Industry Authority (KSIA) whose statutory responsibility is to license and regulate all the private security companies/institutes/institutions including security training providers in Kenya? If not, why not - then now is the time for a relevant Act to be passed by the Kenyan Apex Legislative Assembly to establish the KSIA - the Nigerian authorities have continued to ignore me on this - it is hoped the Westgate tragedy will serve to them and other African nations as a wakeup call - as in just a matter of moment - the Nigerian version of the Westgate tragedy will be re-enacted by any of the intensely ambitious jihadi sects currently competing for media space and global attention-and I’m using this platform to again warn the gang of the deaf ruling Nigeria and their good-for-nothing security chiefs to beef up security at all major shopping centres, hotels, airports, iconic buildings, pubs/bars, critical infrastructures, market places, schools, colleges, universities, military/police barracks, seaports/major waterways, public buses, trains, market/all crowded places, secretariats, churches, mosques, political rallies, stadia, oil installations, major bridges, legislative complexes, car parks, etc, etc - a word is enough for the wise!
By the way, how secure are the five-star hotels/restaurants in Nigerian cities, particularly Abuja? Boko Haram’s methods are so easy to predict....although Boy Ihejirika thinks otherwise...anyway, here we go: .FORWARD AND BACKWARD, MOVE ROUND IN A CIRCLE...FORWARD AND BACKWARD...CREATE BUFFER ZONES...HIT AND RUN...COME BACK TO THE SAME SPOT/ZONE...SOMETIMES ATTACKING THE SAME TYPE OF EARLIER TARGET OBJECTS OR NEW ONES...AND AFTER AN INTERLUDE..RETURN TO CONTINUE THESE STRATEGIC RYTHMS. Probably in my previous leads I was too technical for the security chiefs in Nigeria to decode. If they cannot decode this and act swiftly by re-strategising, then I’m afraid, Nigeria is truly not safe in their hands including their Commander-in- Chief’s FIELD MARSHALL GOODLUCK EBELE JONATHAN. Yo!
Sorry for the digression, but please let’s return to Kenya: Does the WSC management have private licensed security officers patrolling all the corridors, foyers, elevators, car parks – and in and around the Mall including all toilets and randomly every store/shop in addition to the regular security officers provided by each store/shop?
Does every store/shop at the WSC have their own electronic surveillance systems such as EAS, and CCTV mounted on the lectern/podium stationed strategically at the ENTRANCES to their stores/shops plus having their own CONTROL ROOMS? In the coming days, months and years ability to provide adequate security must be a prerequisite to owning a shop/store at the centre and elsewhere, not just being able to pay the contractual fees and monthly or yearly rental.
From the look of things as watched by me on TV from the United Kingdom, there doesn’t seem to be a security outpost at the gate leading to the WSC- if this observation is correct, then there must be an IN & OUT gate, with security posts at the two gates leading to the car park/premises of the complex, or just one gate serving as IN & OUT, but with a security post on both sides – private licensed and Government security personnel, and hence forth, there must be a pre-entry security check, both at the Centre Gate and at the MAIN ENTRANCE to the shopping Centre- pre-entry checks must include using metal detectors, bomb detectors/detonators, AND all metal contents/belts and wares must be emptied/loosened onto a security conveyor machines both at the ENTRY GATE and the same routine checks must be carried out at the ENTRANCE to the Mall.
Once all customers to the Mall have been checked/vetted and given the go-ahead to proceed onto the premises and into the stores/shops at the Mall, at the discretion of shop/store owners, they could also, decide to carry out their own very quick pre-entry checks before customers are allowed into their stores/shops-with counting machines installed at the MAIN ENTRANCE and ENTRANCES to/into the Mall and stores/shops to be counting customers/visitors going in and out.
At the car park must be mounted/installed video analytics including Automatic Number Plate Recognition Camera (ANPR) in addition to special registers/note books to enable security personnel at the gate(s) write down the number plates of all vehicles allowed into the premises, and tick as such vehicles are leaving the premises of the Mall. Management of each shop/store should decide whether all customers to their shops/store are to be allowed to go in shopping and sight-seeing with their belongings such as hand bags, luggage, brief cases and other effects they have come into the shop(s) with and tallies must be issued to them for easy identification of such effects/belongings should each management decides customers and visitors must drop their belongings with security.
OR management of each shop/store may decide heavy items – travelling bags, luggage may be prohibited from being taking into their trading environment, but where customers are allowed to carry their belongings into the shop/store, the contents of such items MUST be declared to the security officers and properly documented.
In view of the current uncertainty, no one wearing full veil covering their faces must be allowed into the Mall and all public places. Britain must get serious on this and be firm!
Are there delivery gates at the Mall, if yes, all MUST be securely locked at all times and open ONLY when delivery vehicles are coming in and going out, but once in or out, the gates must be locked immediately-and all gates/entrances must be electronically alarmed.
All shops/stores within the Mall MUST have radios for communications within their shops/stores amongst staff and there must be CENTRE RADIOS/TOWN LINK RADIOS for intra/inter-Mall communications and communications with the county/city police and the Local Government Control Rooms. The purpose of having all these radios linked internally and externally is for ease of communications within and without with store/centre colleagues, the police and the control room of the Local Government Council where trading is carried out such that, once there is an incident, ALL concerned must be alerted immediately.
The Centre Management must have their Daily Occurrence Book (DOB) to report all incidents and each store must also have theirs and such must be recorded on the computer afterwards with police and other authorised security agencies having access to them on daily basis for purpose of information sharing and dissemination.
Police must patrol crowded areas, streets, shops/stores as often as they can. They should embark on impromptu visits to stores, especially major high streets ones, walking briskly round patrolling as if they are chasing criminals – sometimes they could talk to customer services assistants/store managers and sometimes not at all, but disappear as soon as they go round a particular store on such routine checks.
Henceforth, all posts and parcels must be dropped with the security officers at the main gate after they have been certified safe electronically for each shop/store to collect every morning...No post/parcel must be taken into the centre – designated staff are to collect the ones that came with cheques inside them after having signed for them at the main gate security post.
The Centre must have its own press unit which will liaise with the local and main stream press and issue a monthly newsletter to be known and called Westgate News including having their website.
Emergency numbers of all essential services such as the police, neighbourhood police, ambulances (local and national), fire services and hospitals must be conspicuously displayed in strategic locations in and around the Mall.
HEALTH & SAFETY
Also, there must be a First Aid Office with at least, two professional nurses on standby on daily basis in case of any emergency including the provision of First Aid Boxes by each store/shop.
All security personnel must work as a team and not as rivals/competitors.
Are there fire exit points at the Mall currently?
There doesn’t seem to be an EVACUATION POINT as observed on TV from the United Kingdom, hence people were running helter-skelter without any sense of direction in the face of such great tragedy. If my observation is correct, this needs be looked into.
Signages to be provided include: WAY IN, WAY OUT, FIRE/EMERGENCY EXIT, EVACUATION POINT, CONVENIENCE ROOM & CHANGING ROOM clearly marked.
Are there trained Fire Marshalls/Wardens and trained First Aiders at the Mall already? If NO, then NOW is the time to have them.
There should be regular fire evacuation drills/testing in each Mall/store/shop, bomb simulation drills
Signages warning customers about spills, pieces of broken bottles, other potential dangers, etc, on the shop floor must be conspicuously displayed to avoid litigation in the event of a fall.
Is there a DISABLED PARKING space at the Mall? If NO, why not? And all persons certified disabled must be issued Blue Badges to be purchased at a token.
Are there disabled toilets within the Mall? If No, why Not?
Are there disabled lift(s) at the Mall currently? If No, why Not?
No customer must be allowed in with bikes/scooters - children having scooters should leave them at the security posts and parents must ensure their children/wards are with them at ALL times whilst shopping lasts.
Holiday Resorts
All holiday resorts/tour operators must have their own trained and licensed security personnel with communications gadgets and every tour bus/car must have at least two security officers depending on the size/capacity.
The futility of a global jihad, the mujahideen’s delusion of martyrdom and their vision of Al-janah
Although this article is primarily aimed at Kenya, by extension, it is consciously written with other African countries, Third World nations and even the advanced economies in mind to ruminate upon with a view to forming a Trans Atlantic Alliance in the war on terror. It is also, my clarion call on all Muslims across the globe that it was now time they divorced their religion – Islam- the religion of peace from the satanic ideology called Islamism masquerading as Islam with their adherents claiming all theses killings over the years by them are being done for Allah, who they claim will reward them with virgins and Aljanah!
First and foremost, my contention always has been that terrorists are not Muslims and no true Muslim in any part of the world is a terrorist or will ever join or support any murderous group(s) to kill, maim and destroy in such colossal proportions as I have seen and heard all over the world, hence I have been incubating on an idea of Islamism as distinct from Islam, hoping I will one day develop this concept into a book. From the synopsis of this intellectual work I have attempted as God has given me the grace to so do to distinguish between Islam – the religion of peace from Islamism – a satanic ideology which promotes violence, negativity, political and cultural roguery, abhors life, positivism and perpetually hankers after death, whose adherents kill, maim and mindlessly destroy maximally. Therefore, a terrorist is not a Muslim and cannot be a practitioner of Islam, the religion of peace because he is simply an Islamist who practises Islamism.
Islamism like communism is a satanic ideology and must be rejected and kept at bay and prevented from polluting the conscience of human brotherhood.
As an attack on their delusion of grandeur about the notion of martyrdom, rewards of numerous virgins and automatic attainment of Aljanah, I would like to ask: Do people of any faith, not just Muslims, go to heaven with their hands dripping blood? Has any of their cohorts who had killed, maimed and destroyed maximally and mindlessly in their acts of purposeless malignity who subsequently died ever come back to earth to show-off their virgins from heaven? Perhaps, the pertinent question to ask members of some cultures, parents/families who do ignorantly celebrate the death of the beasts they had unleashed on the world who killed many, many innocent people under the pretext that they were contending for Allah is: Of what use is the ‘glory’ of martyrdom to a dead person?
I honestly hold that any person who has sunk so low from their exalted divinity to zero rung of the spiritual ladder, such that they are unable to see God in the other person, and thinks of committing acts of violence against the other person, and actually goes ahead to kill them, has lost their citizenship of human brotherhood and a place in eternity, and like a feral beast, fit only for the wild and if their very murderous tendency is discovered before hand – before they go on a killing spree, should be cast out of human community because they are a danger to our common humanity.
Erroneous thinking out there...But Westgate is global terrorists’ experiment/pilot project to be replicated elsewhere in the world sooner or later!
No doubt the Westgate tragedy has thrown up armchair/emergency security/intelligence analysts lapping and regurgitating what another so-called security expert has just vomited out for those who may care to lap – what is more, many so-called authorities on Africa have emerged from the West, people who hardly know anything about Africa, Kenya, particularly struggling for space on the pages of newspapers, magazines, social media, blogs, tv, etc. Some have ridiculously said definitively, it would never happen again, even in Kenya-others said Al Shabaab are acting from position of weakness whose operations are limited to Somalia and lately, East Africa. May I hereby warn very strongly that anyone, any nation, any major retailer across the globe, any security agency worth their salt who laps onto this naivety does that at a very heavy cost and at their own very peril!
Some have ridiculously discountenanced their international links/networks with other jihadists. The Islamists who are on a mission of a global jihad know how to fool the world, excepting me. They tell you they are attacking because of Western occupation of “Our Land”, this and that nation have teamed up with so and so nation to “fight us”, so a particular attack is camouflaged as an act of vengeance. Truth is: Islamist terrorists are on a mission of global jihad to replace democracy with theocracy towards an entrenchment of Sharia and Islamic values all over the world, hence their motto is: ISLAM WILL RULE THE WORLD!
As far as modern Islamist warfare is concerned they network and lend support to one another in any, especially major operations in any part of the globe, hence you have terrorists from Tunisia, Lebanon and elsewhere fighting in Syria and are usually given letters from their commanders which are read and delivered to the head of an operation initiated by a particular sect in another country or region of the world! They criss-cross national and international boundries to fight the so-called jihad/’holy war.’ And by my reckoning that pattern has not changed since 630!
RED ALERT TO GIANT RETAILERS ACROSS THE GLOBE... Terrorists are coming to your store sooner or later...
In the United Kingdom currently, although some major retailers engage the services of civilian licensed security officers (CLSO) who have been licensed by the Security Industry Authority (SIA) of Great Britain to secure their premises, but these security officers are often distracted by ignorant, egotistic and power hungry store managers who use them as slaves by assigning them other non-security duties as carrying baskets; price labelling; newspaper counting and arrangement; shelf/stacking/merchandising; taking money from customers on the shop floor, especially at self-service checkouts; arranging products on the shelf by going from one aisle to another to push products on the shelves forward, where they have been scattered by customers making selections; going on errands for these very arrogant, pompous store managers and also, customer services assistants both of who treat them as curs, sending them to buy them lunch; taking them off the entrances (lectern/podia) on sometimes very meaningless errands to the stockrooms/warehouse; back of the store/shop, kitchens, admin offices; turning them to cleaners, especially when there are spills on the shop floor; engaging them in taking deliveries; just taking them off their duty posts for really no justifiable reasons, except to show off and impress their girlfriends/other visitors of theirs (referring to these security officers before their visitors as “My Guards”); picking trolleys left scattered by customers and notorious youngsters and returning them to the trolley bays; making them to push cages and carry heavy loads/objects for which they are not trained to so do, etc, etc, etc.
Any security officer who politely tells these store managers that all these are not security jobs, so outside their job specifications does that at the risk of their jobs or being withdrawn from the shop/duty entirely after having been labelled non-team players – they are not team players – so don’t work as part of a team – these assertive officers who want to concentrate on their security duties are often reported to their employers – and their employers out to protect their contracts, backed by gullible and idiotic area supervisors/managers who too, often play to survive in the scheme of things, without opinion of their own, without any iota of managerial training, always concurring in all crises/problems involving their officers, would team up with the store manager and the management of their security companies and sacrifice the confident, assertive, friendly, skilful, dutiful, firm and highly professional security officer! They are shown the way out of the store and out of their companies and because most of these officers do not know anything about Employment Laws, EU & UK Trade Union Laws, all the conspirators often get away with this malady.
However, some security companies who find themselves under this scenario, afraid of risking litigation start punishing the security officers by withdrawing them from their so-called ‘permanent stores’, have their overall weekly hours gradually reduced and thereafter relieved the officers of their jobs under the guise of contract termination by their clients – the retailers- or such security officers after the reduction of their hours consequent on their inability to pay their rents/bills, sooner than later, disengage themselves from the said security companies.
Ludicrously, MDs/CEOs of some retails stores use contract agency security officers posted to their stores/companies as their bodyguards/protocol officers making them to be following them about as when they go to meetings – you could see such security officers sitting beside these MDs/CEOs in their official cars.
My question now to giant retailers in the UK, after the Westgate tragedy, can they still afford such nonsense, waste, abuse and misuse of agency security officers posted to their stores, or someone is going to investigate this, perhaps, the British Retail Consortium and British Council of Shopping Centres, the British Security Industry Association (BSIA) and individual security companies concerned, and put a stop to this anomaly and ‘slavery’.
For those who think the Westgate type attack is not possible here in the West, will they please go and tell that to the horse marine? As will not buy into this naivety, my pertinent questions to all the giant retailers, the hospitality industry including pubs, managers of all critical infrastructure across the globe such as airports, transportations systems, water bodies, institutions, crowded high streets is: “When will a worse than Westgate tragedy dog their paths?” If truth must be told, all critical infrastructure across the globe are potential targets and ALL nations MUST grade the threat levels of their countries and make such public at all times for their citizens and tourists/visitors/local and foreign investors.
No Reprisal Please
President Kenyatta and his security chiefs must ensure no innocent Muslim, Somali, Westerner and anybody whatsoever is victimized because of the Black Saturday, he must team up with other African leaders to flush out all the cancerous elements in Africa!
Conclusion
Since the Creator never intended human beings to live on earth in perpetual trepidations as these agents of darkness want people to live, all in all nations of the world are called upon to be security conscious and be eternally vigilant in order to defend our God-given liberty. One best way to start is, customers to all trading environment should be viewed as customers as well as ‘shoplifters’, and in line with current uncertainty – potentially are capable of any untowardness, until proven otherwise – but I hasten to caution against stereotyping.
All big supermarkets across the globe should in addition to having civilian security officers, also, have plain-clothed store detectives with all working towards a common goal/purpose.
In a given shopping centre/business park, security officers and police must carry out random search of all stores/shops to ensure owners are using their shops/stores for the purpose in which they were rented/leased in the first place, and not using them for stockpiling weapons/explosives for evil purposes, selling drugs and money laundry, etc.
In and around the shopping Malls across the globe, management of each store can decide to embark on pre-entry security checks. However, pre-entry checks to the shopping centre/mall is a must. Equally, in other public places such as cinema, theatre, stadia, political rallies, conferences, trade shows, parties, students nites/speech nights, sport centres, polo grounds, gulf clubs, iconic buildings, museums, libraries, national treasure sites, zoos, pubs, mega Christian conferences, such as Holy Ghost Nights/Festivals in Nigeria and elsewhere, spring festivals, musical concerts/music festival, etc, pre-entry check is a must, this is without exception including children, young persons, disabled, very old people – no one to such public places must be allowed to carry guns in except security officers – Hello, America?
Usually customers are known to always be in a hurry, so if manual pre-entry check will take time, a device must be installed at the entrance of each story capable of checking customers, theatre goers electronically-these devices must include metal detectors, bomb detectors/detonators/ drug detectors – in addition to the EAS with trained security officers on hand to respond to any eventuality or exigency.
Each store/shop must have shutters to prevent not necessarily terrorist, but petty thieves – shoplifters, burglars, rioters in the event of any riot in the trading city/environment as the inhuman conditions which easily make young persons susceptible to radicalization, forcing people into undignifying acts keep multiplying by the day under the current economic downturn.
In every country of the world, every State/Provinces/Counties/Local Government Councils must have mobile surveillance vehicles which will go out night and day to record incidences/occurrences taking place in their Surveillance/Security Environment.
Also, ambulance and fire officials must always be within immediate reach in times of emergencies.
In addition to the Shooping Centres’ WAY IN/WAY OUT/FIRE EXIT, etc, all stores/shops must have EXIT DOORS at the back of their stores/shops/warehouse/stock rooms and if the store/shop is on the upper floor, such a store must have metal stair wells leading down for escape in an emergency.