US embassy cable - 01ABUJA2591

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABUJA 002591 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/12/2006 
TAGS: PTER, PREL, NI 
SUBJECT: TFUS01: CALL TO PRESIDENT OBASANJO REGARDING AIR 
STRIKES 
 
Classified by Ambassador Howard F. Jeter, reasons 1.5 (b) and 
(d). 
 
 
1.(C)  I spoke by phone with President Obasanjo soon after 
his October 7 telephone call from the White House during 
which Vice President Cheney informed Obasanjo of our imminent 
air strikes against terrorist targets in Afghanistan. 
Obasanjo stated that he saw the value in VP Cheney's request 
to call key West African Heads of State to shore up their 
support for our action.  To this end, the President said he 
would immediately call his Senegalese, Malian and Ghanaian 
colleagues that evening. 
 
 
2.(C)  Looking a bit closer to home, Obasanjo speculated that 
Zamfara, Kano, Sokoto and possibly Kaduna could experience 
public demonstrations as a result of our actions.  As a 
precaution, he had ordered security to be beefed up and 
placed on heightened alert in those areas.  I suggested that 
he include often tumultuous Lagos in the increased security 
coverage and emphasized the need for Nigerian security forces 
to pay special attention to the protection of American lives 
and property at this critical moment.  Obasanjo said that he 
understood our concern.  He suggested that we share as much 
information as possible with his security agencies, promising 
that those agencies would reciprocate.  Obasanjo requested 
that I stay in close touch with his National Security 
Advisor, Aliyu Mohammed, which I assured him I would do. 
Jeter