Preparedness and Response to Terrorism in Nigeria

Since 2010, the northern geopolitical zones in Nigeria witnessed increasing bomb attacks from Boko Haram, the suicide bomb attacks on the Nigeria Police Force Headquarter, the United Nations House in Abuja, and the St Theresa Catholic Church, Madalla are examples. The frequency of attacks and the scale of violence were a challenge to the Nigeria Government, prompting the need for a review of the nation¿s capacity to respond to threats from terror groups. This study seeks to understand terrorism threats in Northern Nigeria and to assess the current preparedness and response capacity to similar future events. The study is limited to bomb attacks with the use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (VBIED) and suicide bomb attacks. The assessment shows that measures adopted to check the attacks such as counterterrorism legislation (The Antiterrorism Prevention Act), training and simulation exercises, resources of funds and personnel, early warning mechanisms, and coordination systems were inadequate to mitigate threats.