From UBONG UKPONG, Abuja
The State Security Service (SSS) yesterday
paraded a suspected terror kingpin and two of his
lieutenants. The security agency said that the
suspects were backed by Iranian terrorist group.
They had planned to site a cell in Lagos
State.Their target is the South-West where they
will launch attacks and cause unrest in the
region.. SSS Deputy Director, Press, Marilyn Ogar,
gave names of the suspect as Abdulahi Mustapha
Berende and his two lieutenants as Sulaiman
Olayinka Saka and Saheed Aderemi at a press
conference in Abuja.
She said that the suspected terrorists leader had
confessed that he was asked to as a matter of
urgency, provide names of prominent Nigerians
who if attacked, could unsettle the South-West.
The SSS said that in his bid to satisfy his mentors,
he was said to have confessed to listing former
military President, General Ibrahim Babangida,
former Sultan of Sokoto, Ibrahim Dasuki, Israeli
and American interests, as top on their list for first
attack, before they were arrested.
According to Ogar, Berende confessed that the
South-West, particularly Lagos State, was
targeted for attacks because his Iranian handlers
believed that the Israelis had an intelligence
facility there that was used in spying on Iran.
Berende was also said to have confessed that,
“his Iranian sponsors requested that he identifies
and gathers intelligence on public places and
prominent hotels frequented by Americans and
Israelis to facilitate attacks.
He was also to provide specific details on the
following organizations, USAID, Max, Zim
International Shipping Company, A A Consulting,
Peace Corps and the Jewish Cultural Centre
(Chabad) in Lagos.” Ogar said while Berende
initially confessed to personally taking
photographs of the Israeli Cultural Centre in Ikoyi,
Lagos, which he sent to his promoters in Iran,
“his lieutenants succesfully conducted
surveillance and gathered relevant data on the
listed targets preparatory to possible attacks.”
Based on their confession, Berende and his
Iranian sponsors were said to have agreed on
communication codes to represent their targets,
with “Uncle”, for Israeli and “Aunt” for America.
Ogar said that from intelligence, 50-year-old
Berende, who hails from Ilorin, Kwara State, was
the Shiite leader in Ilorin and has made several
suspicious trips to and from Iran where he
interracted with some Iranian elements known to
operate a high profile international terrorist
network. In the course of his travels, he was said
to have attended a six-month course in modern
Shi’a Islamic teaching (Da’awa) at Imam Khomeni
University, Iran, trained on the use of AK 47,
assault rifle, pistols, production and detonation of
Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). However,
Berende initially denied his involvement. He told
reporters “I am not a terrorist, I don’t operate
with any terrorist group in the world.
” But unable to sustain his argument, he became
very emotional, confirming the positions of the
SSS from his said confessions, saying, “I never
meant to betray my country, I was planning to do
genuine business with these people, I realize that
they were playing me games”, as he apologised,
asking Nigerians, government and his family to
forgive him for causing them such
embarrassment.


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