"COUNTRIES OF INTEREST", NIGERIA NOW OFFICIALLY A TERRORIST STATE?
Regrettably, the Northern Nigerian Fulani Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab has succeeded in tarnishing Nigeria's image further, adding another dishonorable epitaph to it, - a terrorist country? Yes, A terrorist country; regardless of the subterfuge of a "country of interest" it has been branded by the United States Transport Security Administration, TSA. We all know when a person is suspected of a crime, he is initially branded a 'person of interest' while evidence is being gathered with eyes kept on him/her, only to be arrested as soon as warrant is perfected; thus a person of interest most always, graduates into a suspect. So cutting through the chase, Icheoku laments that Nigeria is now a terrorist country! It is for all intent and purpose, practically speaking, FINISHED for the Nigerian travelling public; especially the innocent youth that desperately need to escape the hardship in the country for a better life anywhere, a hardship brought about by series of inept leaderships which the country has been cursed with and for so many years. Henceforth, many countries will be very reluctant to take in a Nigeria as no country wants to take in a potential terror-suspect; and added to the existing bad raps which Nigeria already have as a country of 419ners, drug-traffickers and epidemically very corrupt; this additional appendage of terrorism will be just too burdensome to grapple with. The American Transportation Security Administration just announced that it will begin enhanced screening procedures immediately on any U.S.-bound air passenger traveling through "state sponsors of terrorism or other countries of interest" such as Pakistan, Yemen and Nigeria! The implication being that anyone from or originating his trip from any of these countries will automatically trigger 'enhanced screening' of that person's body before he/she could board any United States of America bound flight. Who knows what 'enhanced screening' will entail, but suffice it to say, it may be very intrusive! The other countries in this league of 'terror-nations' include Afghanistan, Algeria, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Saudi Arabia and Somalia. Icheoku says, what an unholy alliance and a despicable club of detestable countries for Nigeria to also belong; at a time when one thinks it is already very bad for Nigeria, now comes the whammy of terrorism, the mother of all things bad and loathsome! May God damn this Umaru Farouk Abdul Mutallab for bringing this global odium on Nigeria with his Christmas day terrorism, which has been described as "a Christmas gift to Nigeria which nobody wanted." Anyway, a quick fix and possible way out of this very bad situation would be for travelling Nigerians to denounce their citizenship immediately and take new citizenship elsewhere? They should try and lose the green passport and take their newly adoptive country's as fast as possible; and also route their subsequent future trips through Ghana, Benin, Togo, Cameroon, South Africa or just any other country that does not sound Nigeria? They should as a matter of utmost urgency, avoid originating their flights out of Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt? That way they will be spared the impending, demeaning and possibly very dehumanising "strip-search" they will encounter at any airport in the world, assuming they are lucky enough to secure a visa to even travel henceforth. Alternatively, the Nigerians authorities, since they cannot deny complete liability, should instead petition the American State Department to nudge their TSA to streamline the 'enhanced screening' of Nigerian travellers and confine it to people from the Islamic sharia Northern Nigeria only. These are the people that gave the world, Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab and the same people who have suffered Nigeria with so many terrorist religious riots over the years since 1960? Nigeria as a country has suffered enough in the hands of these Hausa-Fulani terrorists from Northern Nigeria, through their usually unprovoked religious riots which have killed and maimed thousands, destroyed properties worth billions and which have terrorised millions of people of southern Nigeria. Icheoku asks, why must the people of Southern Nigerians and Christians alike, now suffer as a result of the Islamic North's infamy of terrorism? Traveling as a Nigeria has now taken on an added burden of being a 'potential terror-suspect' or a 'terror-person of interest?' It is no longer advised to travel as a Nigerian to any part of the world, all courtesy of the Northern Nigerian Fulani diaper-bomber, Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab, who has by necessary implication, damaged every travelling Nigerians as a terrorism persons of interest? What a tag of shame! Cry thy beloved country, Nigerians; if only Alan Quaterman knew better and designated his work on Nigeria? Icheoku says, it shall not be well with you, Umar Abdul Farouk Mutallab.
Regrettably, the Northern Nigerian Fulani Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab has succeeded in tarnishing Nigeria's image further, adding another dishonorable epitaph to it, - a terrorist country? Yes, A terrorist country; regardless of the subterfuge of a "country of interest" it has been branded by the United States Transport Security Administration, TSA. We all know when a person is suspected of a crime, he is initially branded a 'person of interest' while evidence is being gathered with eyes kept on him/her, only to be arrested as soon as warrant is perfected; thus a person of interest most always, graduates into a suspect. So cutting through the chase, Icheoku laments that Nigeria is now a terrorist country! It is for all intent and purpose, practically speaking, FINISHED for the Nigerian travelling public; especially the innocent youth that desperately need to escape the hardship in the country for a better life anywhere, a hardship brought about by series of inept leaderships which the country has been cursed with and for so many years. Henceforth, many countries will be very reluctant to take in a Nigeria as no country wants to take in a potential terror-suspect; and added to the existing bad raps which Nigeria already have as a country of 419ners, drug-traffickers and epidemically very corrupt; this additional appendage of terrorism will be just too burdensome to grapple with. The American Transportation Security Administration just announced that it will begin enhanced screening procedures immediately on any U.S.-bound air passenger traveling through "state sponsors of terrorism or other countries of interest" such as Pakistan, Yemen and Nigeria! The implication being that anyone from or originating his trip from any of these countries will automatically trigger 'enhanced screening' of that person's body before he/she could board any United States of America bound flight. Who knows what 'enhanced screening' will entail, but suffice it to say, it may be very intrusive! The other countries in this league of 'terror-nations' include Afghanistan, Algeria, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Saudi Arabia and Somalia. Icheoku says, what an unholy alliance and a despicable club of detestable countries for Nigeria to also belong; at a time when one thinks it is already very bad for Nigeria, now comes the whammy of terrorism, the mother of all things bad and loathsome! May God damn this Umaru Farouk Abdul Mutallab for bringing this global odium on Nigeria with his Christmas day terrorism, which has been described as "a Christmas gift to Nigeria which nobody wanted." Anyway, a quick fix and possible way out of this very bad situation would be for travelling Nigerians to denounce their citizenship immediately and take new citizenship elsewhere? They should try and lose the green passport and take their newly adoptive country's as fast as possible; and also route their subsequent future trips through Ghana, Benin, Togo, Cameroon, South Africa or just any other country that does not sound Nigeria? They should as a matter of utmost urgency, avoid originating their flights out of Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt? That way they will be spared the impending, demeaning and possibly very dehumanising "strip-search" they will encounter at any airport in the world, assuming they are lucky enough to secure a visa to even travel henceforth. Alternatively, the Nigerians authorities, since they cannot deny complete liability, should instead petition the American State Department to nudge their TSA to streamline the 'enhanced screening' of Nigerian travellers and confine it to people from the Islamic sharia Northern Nigeria only. These are the people that gave the world, Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab and the same people who have suffered Nigeria with so many terrorist religious riots over the years since 1960? Nigeria as a country has suffered enough in the hands of these Hausa-Fulani terrorists from Northern Nigeria, through their usually unprovoked religious riots which have killed and maimed thousands, destroyed properties worth billions and which have terrorised millions of people of southern Nigeria. Icheoku asks, why must the people of Southern Nigerians and Christians alike, now suffer as a result of the Islamic North's infamy of terrorism? Traveling as a Nigeria has now taken on an added burden of being a 'potential terror-suspect' or a 'terror-person of interest?' It is no longer advised to travel as a Nigerian to any part of the world, all courtesy of the Northern Nigerian Fulani diaper-bomber, Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab, who has by necessary implication, damaged every travelling Nigerians as a terrorism persons of interest? What a tag of shame! Cry thy beloved country, Nigerians; if only Alan Quaterman knew better and designated his work on Nigeria? Icheoku says, it shall not be well with you, Umar Abdul Farouk Mutallab.
New US flight checks 'discriminate against Nigeria'
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ABUJA (AFP) – Nigeria, home of the failed US plane bomber, Monday branded new security measures for passengers flying to the United States unfair and said they amounted to discrimination against its 150 million people.
The US government announced that travellers from 14 countries, including Nigeria, are to be subjected to extra checks including body pat-downs after a young Nigerian was accused of trying to blow up a US jet on Christmas Day.
But Nigeria's Information Minister Dora Akunyili said that Africa's most populous nation did not have a history of terrorism and such a move could not be justified.
"It is unfair to include Nigeria on the US list for tighter screening because Nigerians do not have terrorist tendencies," Akunyili told journalists.
"It is unfair to discriminate against over 150 million people because of the behaviour of one person," said the minister.
A 23-year-old Nigerian, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, has been accused of trying to trigger an explosion on the Northwest Airlines plane with chemicals which had been stitched into his underwear.
"Abdulmutallab's behaviour is not reflective of Nigerians and should therefore not be used as a yardstick to judge all Nigerians," said Akunyili.
"He was not influenced in Nigeria. He was not recruited or trained in Nigeria. He was not supported whatsoever in Nigeria."
Prosecutors say that Abdulmutallab tried to carry out the attack after undergoing training by a Yemen-based Al-Qaeda cell which said it was behind the plot.
Nigeria's angry response is the first from the 14 countries on the US list, which include Cuba, Iran, Sudan and Syria, designated state sponsors of terrorism by Washington.
The new measures would apply to all passengers travelling from or via a total of 14 countries, including Afghanistan, Libya, Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen, as well as Nigeria, where Abdulmutallab's family lives.
The New York Times and Washington Post quoted government officials as saying the other four countries were Algeria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Iraq.
Akunyili said the incident involving Abdulmutallab was a "one-off thing".
His "behaviour is not reflective of Nigerians and should therefore not be used as a yardstick to judge all Nigerians."
"Abdulmutallab was a well-behaved child, from a responsible family, who developed the ugly tendency to do what he tried to do because of his exposure outside the shores of Nigeria," the minister said.
Washington said Monday stricter measures will be compulsory on flights from the 14 nations while random "enhanced" checks will be carried out on all planes landing at a US airport.
"Every individual flying into the US from anywhere in the world traveling from or through nations that are state sponsors of terrorism or other countries of interest will be required to go through enhanced screening," the Transport Security Administration said.
All travellers from the targeted countries would be subjected to extra body pat-downs and advanced screening of baggage, a US official said. Imaging and explosive detection technology might also be used.