The near-panic that followed the arrest of a potential suicide bomber at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos last week is understandable.  It is not only that the MMIA is Nigeria’s largest terminal, it is located in the Lagos megalopolis, which is the country’s commercial nerve centre.  Thus, the consequences of a terrorist attack at MMIA are too frightening to contemplate.
In Boko Haram, Nigeria contends with an enemy that glories in destruction and bloodshed.  There can be no doubt that the MMIA is one of its targets.  No effort should be spared, therefore, to deny Boko Haram an opportunity to target the MMIA.  This airport must be placed absolutely beyond its reach.
We commend the security guards at the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency’s CENTREX facility who had the presence of mind to notice the “suspicious movement” of the suspect and the “frustration evident on his face.”  They demonstrated the kind of vigilance that is required to protect sensitive assets such as the MMIA.
That the suspect is a physically challenged man in his 20s does not surprise anyone given the antecedents of Boko Haram.  A group that has had no compunctions using ten-year-old girls for murder and suicide bombings would think nothing of using a handicapped man on suicide missions.  And, that in itself should serve as an object lesson to all security men and women in sensitive locations: no one is too low and none too high to be screened.  As the saying goes, it is always cheaper to be sure than to be sorry.
Preliminary findings seem to indicate that the suspect is one in a group deployed to bomb various parts of Lagos.  That is more than sufficient notice and warning that the effort to protect the city must be raised a notch higher knowing that bombers are on the prowl.  There is no doubt that Boko Haram would love to bomb targets in Lagos.  It tried to do so two months ago, and before then, in March last year.  Terrorists do not give up on their targets, as the Americans found to their horror.  September 11, 2001 was not Al Qaida’s first attempt at destroying the World Trade Centre.
It is now known that the suspect is an alien recruited with others from Niger Republic. This is yet another confirmation that illegal immigrants constitute a serious threat to security in the country.  The challenge of securing the country should have nothing to do with our “good neighbour” immigration policy.  The trouble with illegal and undocumented immigrants is that you do not know their history or who they are.  This is why it is safer to repatriate them without delay wherever they are found.  And Lagos, today, seems to be swarming with thousands of potentially risky immigrants in various parts of the city, who could be easily recruited into the destructive brigade called Boko Haram.
The Federal Government and, for that matter, state governments should do more to enlist the entire populace in this fight.  A national central emergency reporting and response system should be set up, widely publicised and tested to demonstrate that it works.
It must have simple, memorable telephone numbers which any Nigerian who notices anything suspicious could call and leave a report.
The Americans developed a theme: “See Something? Say Something”, which has worked for them and frustrated many terrorists.  We believe that keeping Nigerians safe is too serious an issue to be left in the hands of security forces alone.  All Nigerians should be engaged and motivated to take part in the efforts to ensure their safety.
In the instance of this suspected bomber, every effort must be made to get to the sponsors of the botched bombing. The suspect should also be made to face the full wrath of the law to serve as a deterrent to like-minded persons in the country.

The bomb attempt at Lagos Airport