Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
10ABUJA19
2010-01-05 18:28:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Abuja
Cable title:  

EMBASSY AND CONSULATE GENERAL RECEIVE "POISON PEN"

Tags:  PTER CVIS ASEC PINR PINS PREL NI 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO1121
OO RUEHPA
DE RUEHUJA #0019/01 0051828
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 051828Z JAN 10
FM AMEMBASSY ABUJA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7985
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHOS/AMCONSUL LAGOS PRIORITY 2636
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RULSDMK/DEPT OF TRANSPORTATION WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/DIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHMFISS/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 000019 

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AF/FO, CA, CA/VO, DS/TIA/ITA, DS/TIA/PII,
DS/IP/AF, AF/W, AF/RSA, INR/IAA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/05/2020
TAGS: PTER CVIS ASEC PINR PINS PREL NI
SUBJECT: EMBASSY AND CONSULATE GENERAL RECEIVE "POISON PEN"
MISSIVES ALLEGING IDENTITIES OF ADDITIONAL NIGERIAN
TERRORISTS

REF: A. 09 ABUJA 2165

B. LAGOS 4 AND PREVIOUS

Classified By: Political Counselor James P. McAnulty
for reasons in sections 1.4 (b) and (d).

-------
SUMMARY
-------

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 000019

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AF/FO, CA, CA/VO, DS/TIA/ITA, DS/TIA/PII,
DS/IP/AF, AF/W, AF/RSA, INR/IAA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/05/2020
TAGS: PTER CVIS ASEC PINR PINS PREL NI
SUBJECT: EMBASSY AND CONSULATE GENERAL RECEIVE "POISON PEN"
MISSIVES ALLEGING IDENTITIES OF ADDITIONAL NIGERIAN
TERRORISTS

REF: A. 09 ABUJA 2165

B. LAGOS 4 AND PREVIOUS

Classified By: Political Counselor James P. McAnulty
for reasons in sections 1.4 (b) and (d).

--------------
SUMMARY
--------------


1. (C) The Embassy and Consulate General have received
correspondence and e-mail messages in the form of "poison
pen" missives regarding alleged Nigerian terrorists. In
follow-up to Mission's daily Law Enforcement Working Group
(LEWG) meetings, convened after the attempted December 25
attack on a U.S. airliner, Embassy provides summaries of
these poison pen missives. When possible, our Consular
Sections have entered a "Look Out" or "Watch Phrase" into the
Consolidated Consular Database (CCD) and passed
security-related "poison pen" missives to the Regional
Security and Legal Attache Offices. END SUMMARY.

--------------
LETTER FROM "CONCERNED CITIZENS OF NKEREHI"
--------------


2. (C) The Embassy Consular Section received a letter, dated
December 31, 2009, from "Concerned Citizens of Nkerehi,"
signed by Arinze E Igwike and Joseph Anulobi, who identified
themselves, respectively, as the President and Secretary
General of the organization, which alleged that a
U.S.-Nigerian citizen has trained and sponsored members of a
terrorist group named "Umuchukwu Militia." The group alleges
that this individual, a medical doctor based in Las Vegas,
Nevada, founded and sponsored terrorist groups "to pursue his
religious fanatical convictions." According to this group,
this individual planned to "migrate" some of these terrorists
to the United States. (COMMENT: Embassy will forward the
name and specifics of this individual separately, given the
person's status as a U.S. citizen. END COMMENT.)

--------------
E-MAIL MESSAGE FROM ABDUL GAFFAR MUTALB
--------------


3. (C) The public Internet website for the U.S. Federal
Bureau of Investigation received the following e-mail message

(N.B.: with multiple misspellings and grammatical errors END
NOTE) from Abdul Gaffar Mutalb on December 27: "I wawnt U
guyz to Know That Da Delta Airline incident iz NT Over...We
are Going to Bring America Down . . ." The Lagos Legal
Attache Office continues to investigate this information and,
to date, has received full cooperation from the Nigerian
Government's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFFC),
which has procedures and experience in tracking down Nigerian
IP addresses used for illicit purposes. In this instance,
the Internet Protocol (IP) address reportedly has a Nigerian
domicile.

--------------
E-MAIL MESSAGE FROM MAZI PATRICK
--------------


4. (C) On January 2, ConGen Lagos Immigrant Visa Section,
Non-Immigrant Visa Section, and other addressees received an
e-mail message from Mazi Patrick purporting that the father
of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, Alhaji Umar Mutallab, is part
of a wider network of Northern Nigerian elites, including
former President Ibrahim Babangida, who sponsor terrorism and
religious riots. Patrick also warned that "Nigerians who
Qreligious riots. Patrick also warned that "Nigerians who
worship money" might "unknowingly carry bags containing
explosives and timed bombs for their terror (sic) wealthy
bosses." Patrick says Al-Qaeda's claim to be behind the
bomb-attempt on December 25, 2009, is inaccurate. He lastly
appealed for help from the international security community
to locate the true whereabouts of President Yar'Adua and
determine if he is alive or dead.

--------------
E-MAIL MESSAGE FROM JOY EBUBEOGU

ABUJA 00000019 002 OF 002


--------------


5. (C) On January 4, Lagos Immigrant Visa and Abuja Consular
Sections received an e-mail message from Joy Ebubeogu warning
against two sisters, Olatayo Akamoh and Olutosin Ayodele, who
the sender claimed worked for an unnamed terrorist group
based in the Middle East. Ebubeogu alleged that both women
had traveled to Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to
meet with the "Terrorist Group," and advised the United
States not to give visas to these "two deadly and frustrated"
sisters "determined to cause damage in America."

--------------
E-MAIL MESSAGE FROM "THE WORLD CITIZEN"
--------------


6. (C) Before the attempted December 25 bombing of a U.S.
airliner, the Consulate General Lagos Non-Immigrant Visa
Section received an e-mail message November 28 warning about
Friday Frank Obonoh, who allegedly has "cult" connections and
lives by illegal activities including kidnapping. The e-mail
message alleged that Obonoh had recently traveled to Germany,
Indonesia, Yemen, and South Africa, and was now seeking to
travel -- or send a proxy -- to the U.S. for unknown but
purportedly sinister purposes. The e-mail message, signed by
"The World Citizen" and sent from e-mail address
"caayodele(at)gmail.com," which reportedly is a proxy for a
person named Idongesit Daniel Udo.

--------------
FOLLOW UP ACTIONS
--------------


7. (C) In all cases involving poison-pen missives to the
Consular Section, ConGen Lagos has entered a "Look Out"
(where date of birth was provided) or "Watch Phrase" (where
information was too imprecise to enable a "Look Out") into
the Consolidated Consular Database (CCD). If and when
someone with a name and date of birth matching the "Look Out"
applies for a visa, the "Look Out" will appear automatically
on the screen of the adjudicating consular officer, who can
then read the text of the e-mail message. The "Watch Phrase"
triggers an e-mail notification to ConGen Lagos whenever
someone with a matching name applies for a visa service,
enabling Lagos to contact the adjudicating officer and
exchange information. Embassy Abuja and ConGen Lagos have
implemented a policy of passing "poison-pen" missives as
security-related information to the Assistant Regional
Security Office (RSO) investigator and, effective January 5,
to the Legal Attache Office.


8. (U) Embassy Abuja and ConGen Lagos collaborated on this
telegram.


SANDERS