LAGOS, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Nigerian security agencies are on high alert over possible terrorism attack during or after the Eid-el-Kabir celebration and holiday.
The Nigerian government has declared Friday, Sept. 1 and Monday, Sept. 4 as public holidays to mark the Eid-el-Kabir celebration.
Salisu Fagge, the Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) in charge of zone 8, has assured citizens of adequate security during and after the forthcoming Eid-el-Kabir celebrations.
Fagge said the three commissioners of police in Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Niger and Kaduna states had been issued with operational order to provide effective security during and after the period.
He said the zone would also increase its patrol teams on Abuja-Kaduna federal highway to ensure the safety of road users.
He assured motorists that security measures put in place would deal with any form of threats.
On his part, Abdullahi Muhammad, the Commandant General of Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) has directed the deployment of 40,000 personnel and sniffer dogs across the country for the Eid-el-Kabir celebration.
The deployment would be to strategic places across the country, he said in a statement reaching Xinhua in Lagos, Nigeria's economic hub.
It disclosed that places to be covered included praying grounds, market squares, recreation centers, shopping plazas and malls as well as other noted black spots.
The statement added that deployment of sniffer dogs, Mobile Surveillance Vehicles (MSV) and ambulances at designated areas had also been concluded.
Other specialized units for the assignment include the Special Weapon and Tactical Squad (SWAT), Chemical-Biological, Radioactive and Nuclear Unit (CBRN), Surveillance team, Disaster Management/Rescue team and Special Force for the protection of Critical Infrastructure and National Assets.
In the same vein, the Nigerian Peace Corps (NPC) has deployed its personnel to mosques, prayer grounds and flash pints in Nasarawa State ahead of this year's Eid-el-Kabir.
The proactive strategy was to ensure a hitch-free Sallah celebration, Bala Joshua, Commandant of the corps in the state, said.
He said the corps embarked on this in the interest of national security, stability, peace and development.
Meanwhile, the Police has announced a restriction on vehicular movements during Eid-el-Kabir prayer session in Maiduguri metropolis of restive northeast Borno State.
The restriction would be applied to the use of cars, tricycles, bicycles and animals, Isuku Victor, the spokesperson said in a statement reaching Xinhua.
The statement warned youth against carrying knives and dangerous weapons to the praying grounds, zoo and recreational parks, warning that defaulters will be prosecuted.
Maiduguri is the center of the eight-year-old fight against Boko Haram, which has been trying to set up an Islamic caliphate in the northeast.
More than 20,000 people have been killed in Boko Haram's campaign to establish a caliphate in the Lake Chad basin. A further 2.7 million have been displaced, creating one of the world's largest humanitarian emergencies.
