Heavy security as GLO-CAF awards kicks off in Abuja

Security has been beefed up at the International Conference Centre , ahead of the Globalcom – Confederation of African Football African Player of the Year 2016 award which kicks off any moment from now.

Meanwhile , over 100 local and international journalists have been scheduled to be accredited for the event .
Already , accreditation has commenced since 12 : 00 Noon on Thursday (today ) at the media centre of the event with the theme: “ 25 years of greatness in African football: Whatever it takes . ”
Sources in CAF told our correspondent that this year ’ s award in ICC is going to be unique because it is the 25 th ( silver jubilee) edition, while there will be special recognition for those who have been outstanding for the past 25 years .
A combined team of stern- looking and armed security operatives, including officials of the Nigeria police , Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps and Federal Road Safety Commission have taken over the premises with several trained sniffer dogs on patrol .
Plain- clothes officials of the Department of State Services have take the venue between Radio House and Defence College .
An unconfirmed source put the number of security operatives deployed to the venue at about 500 .
Our correspondent learnt that the deployment of heavy security was necessitated by the reported fleeing of Boko Haram members following the liberation of Sambisa forest in Borno State .
A suspected fleeing member of Boko Haram insurgent , who gave his name as Usman , was recently arrested at Utako market in Abuja .
The fleeing Boko Haram suspect was apprehended “ with a Qur ’ an and a chaplet on his neck while trying to lobby people in the market . ”
He had, however , “confessed that there are so many of his colleagues out there in the city who are out to unleash mayhem on the innocent residents . ”