Mixed reactions continued yesterday to greet the Christmas Day bombings, which occurred in Niger, Yobe, Borno and Plateau States.
Senate Condemns Attacks
President of the Senate, Senator David Mark, has described the Christmas bombing in Madala, Niger State, near the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, the office of the State Security Service in Damaturu, Yobe State, and others as sacrilege and condemnable by any right-thinking member of the society.
He said: “These spate of bombings and killing of innocent and harmless country men and women cannot be a way of life. This is not part of our culture or way of life. Leaders at all levels and across the divide must rise to this unwarranted affront against the people. Every leader worth his or her name must join the vanguard to preach the gospel of peace, love and reconciliation. God did not make mistake to keep us together as a people with common mission and destiny.
“Whatever the anger or misgivings, neither our laws nor the Holy books allow unlawful taking of another man’s life. This is absurd and totally intolerable.”
Also, Senate’s spokesman, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (PDP, Abia), described as despicable the bombing of churches in Madala, Niger state; Jos, Damaturu and some other places, where scores, including children and whole families, lost their lives.
He said: “It is inconceivable that sane minds will just wake up with only one devilish thing in mind: to cause sorrow to families, inflict deep psychological trauma on the society, all with the satanic aim of drawing Nigeria to an unfortunate period of hatred and crisis.”
Tambuwal Promises Nigerians Reacting also, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, while condemning the serial bomb explosions across Nigeria on Christmas Day, pledged that the lower chamber of the National Assembly would work closely with other arms of government to ensure that the government tackled the challenge of insecurity in the country.
Tambuwal urged Nigerians to eschew violence and work towards building bridges of understanding among the various ethnic and religious groups in the country.
He said the cases of insecurity witnessed in various parts of the country would soon be a thing of the past if all Nigerians resolved to work towards exposing all persons or groups behind the terrorist acts.
House Deputy Chief Whip Also, Deputy Chief Whip of the House of Representatives and member representing Gurara/ Suleja/Tafa Federal Constituency of Niger State, Hon. Mohammed Ahmed, said: “I was out of Abuja and out of my constituency when the sad incident occurred but I just left Madalla about an hour ago where I visited the scene of the incident. I was at the Suleja General Hospital and one private hospital to see those who were wounded in the bomb blast. I also met with the Police Area Commander as well as the Divisional Police Officer, A Division. I was at the church where I was opportune to meet the Vatican Ambassador, the Arch-Bishop of Abuja as well as the clerics in charge of the Saint Theresa’s Catholic Church.”
Imoke: Attack’s Extreme Form of Terrorism Cross River State Governor, Senator Liyel Imoke, described the Christmas Day bomb explosion at St. Theresa Catholic Church at Madalla, Suleja, Niger State as an extreme act of terrorism and a distraction to national unity and corporate existence of Nigeria A statement signed by Imoke’s Special Assistance Media and Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Omini Oden, said the senseless bombing was a grievous strike at the very heart of Christianity and an act of provocation directed at the Christian Community in the country. The statement added that the bombing that lead to the dead of many innocent souls revealed the dark heart of the perpetrators who by all judgement are enemies of progress.
Tinubu Seeks Overhaul of Security System Also, former Governor of Lagos State, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, called for a complete overhaul of nation’s security system, following the spate of bombings in the country. Reacting to the Christmas day bombings in Abuja, and other parts of the country, which he described as tragic and unacceptable in a sovereign nation with constitutional government, Tinubu said: “Nigeria is faced with a challenge to its sovereignty and national stability. This is a time that calls for courageous leadership.Hard decisions must be taken to overhaul our security system in concrete terms and above all arrest the monumental failure of intelligence which is clearly apparent.”
Speaking further, Tinubu said beyond the timing of the bombs which is in bad taste, the unending bombings and prevalent bomb-scares that now dominate the lives of Nigerians suggests that there is something fundamentally wrong which needs fixing. “Nigeria is ripe for a national conference. A conversation that will have all stakeholders at the table where we can discuss and if need be renegotiate the basis of our union. As it now stands, the state of our union is weak.The state of our union is under severe attack and we need collective action to deal with the slide into anarchy,” he said.
Security Experts: The Way Out Reacting also, President of the Association for Industrial Security and Safety Operations of Nigeria (AISSON), Dr. Ona Ekhomu, called on the Federal Government to change its counter-terrorism strategy from the current law enforcement (reactive) model to a security model (pro-active) in order to minimise the loss of lives that occur after each Boko Haram attack.
He said government should not aim at arresting and prosecuting Boko Haram fighters after they commit acts of mass murder, but should seek to prevent terrorist attacks from occurring in the first place.
“Since the past is a prologue to the future and the AQN masters of Boko Haram tend to strike on anniversaries and on celebration days in order to maximise fatalities, they will probably carry out more spectacular attacks on New Year’s Day 2012,” he added.
Ex-Envoy Counsels FG A former Nigeria Ambassador to Cote d’Ivoire, Alhaji Abdulganiyu Abdulrasaq, advised the Federal Government to rise up to the current challenges posed by the activities of Boko Haram in the country in order to bring lasting peace to all parts of the country.
Abdulrazaq made the advice in a paper he delivered at the 46th annual conference of Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union (IEDPU) held in Ilorin, over the weekend, observed that: “No day passes without the newspapers reporting an incident or two of bombing in some parts of the country, especially the Northern part of the country.” According to him, “Members of the Boko Haram sects might be Muslims or even fundamentalists and it was clear that they were not pursuing an Islamic agenda.”
Onaiyekan Challenges Muslim Leaders Former President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the Catholic ArchBishop of Abuja, Rev. John Onaiyekan, has charged the leaders of Muslim community in the country to rise to the occasion and identify the perpetrators of the heinous crime against innocent Nigerians.
The cleric, who spoke at a special mass held in honour of the victims of the Christmas Day Bomb explosion, also advocated a more radical approach to quell the Boko Haram uprising across the country.
“I am making a call to the Islamic leaders; the Islamic establishment. Whether we like it or not, this particular crime has been claimed by Boko Haram who has claimed that they are muslims. If they said they are catholics, I will know what to do; I will find out who are those Catholics doing this? And I expect my colleagues in the Islamic community not to just sit back because this thing is giving them a bad name; they should feel sa concerned about it as I am concerned about it, “he said.
ACN Flays Attackers Similarly, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has accused the Federal Government of wasting valuable time and resources on the meaningless fuel subsidy debate while neglecting the Boko Haram crisis that has continued to consume the lives of innocent citizens.
The ACN in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, while lamenting the spate of the bomb blast in the country on a Christmas day, said the government had spent half of the resources it had devoted to the fuel subsidy issue on the Boko Haram crisis, and had organised as many consultations with stakeholders on Boko Haram as it had done on fuel subsidy, the crisis would have been resolved by now and hundreds of precious lives saved.
According to the ACN, “There is no point in mincing words: This government has got its priorities wrong and has acted in a manner that suggests total disregard for human lives. Or how else does one explain a situation where citizens, including security agents, are being hacked down daily by the Boko Haram insurgents and all the government is doing is to waste time and resources on the phantom fuel subsidy issue?”
CPC Seeks Holistic Approach Corroborating ACN’s position, the Congress of Progressive Change (CPC) has advised the Federal Government to adopt a holistic approach to finding a lasting solution to the escalating violence by Boko Haram by implementing measures that would not only redress the socio-economic injustice in the land but also ensure that aggrieved politicians are pacified.
In its response to the Christmas Day bombing incidents, the party maintained in a statement signed by Its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Rotimi Fashakin, that the fractured ethno-religious equilibrium of the Nigerian nation, in the wake of the April elections, was mostly responsible for the upsurge in violence being witnessed today. “Democracy is all about the people. All over the place, there is one agitation or the other. Elections in most of the states are being contested with little or no real guarantees for justice. Government must take steps to pacify the aggrieved political opponents and other vested interests,” he said.
Oritsejafor Blames Security Outfits President of the Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, has blamed the polarisation along religious and sectional lines of the personnel in the various security agencies saddled with the responsibility of maintaining law and order in Nigeria. Oritsejafor said the country’s respective security agencies had been finding it increasingly difficult get their acts together in ensuring the security of lives and property in Nigeria.
He expressed fears that the situation had degenerated to the extent, where security operatives in the country appeared to regard their religious loyalty as being paramount; whereas the interest of the country ought to override sectional or clannish interest.
The CAN president made disclosed this, while fielding questions from journalists in Warri, Delta State, on the spate of insecurity in the country, particularly with the series of terrorist attacks by Boko Haram, said: “I condemn the bombing with all the anger in me. It is a big shame to the members of the sect that this is happening.”
Kuta Blames Security Agencies Chairman, Senate Committee on Federal Character and Inter-governmental Affairs, Senator Dahiru Kuta (PDP, Niger East) has berated the security agencies for their laxity in responding to the spate of bombings in the country.
Kuta, whose constituency covers Madala, the scene of the Christmas bomb blast, said in a telephone chat that: “Lives were unnecessarily wasted and it’s clear that the security agencies are not on top of the situation.” Kuta said: “Workers in the FCT reside in Suleja Emirate which means that management of the area is beyond the scope of Niger State”, adding: “The Federal Government has a sense of duty to extend support to the neighboring communities and the whole of Suleja Emirate. I sympathise with the families of those affected and those who died.”
HURIWA Advocates Proactive Measures Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has urged the Federal Government and the leadership of religious organisations to work out a more effective means of protecting innocent worshippers from being slaughtered by the armed Islamic fundamentalists.
In a statement jointly signed by HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Mr. Emmanuel Onwubiko, and the National Director of Media Affairs, Miss Zainab Yusuf, the group condemned the spate of targeted bomb attacks against selected places of Christian worship on Christmas day in Madalla, near Abuja, Jos in Plateau State and Damaturu in Yobe State.
Muslim Congress Challenges FG The Muslim Congress, a non-political organisation appealed to all Nigerians, irrespective of their religious and ideological inclinations to cooperate with the Federal Government and security agencies to nip the insanity of Boko Haram in the bud by reporting suspicious moves and antics.
A statement issued in Ilorin yesterday, and signed by the Amir of the Congress, Mallam Abdulraheem, Lukman said: “The continue killing of innocent Nigerians by the activities of Boko Haram was uncalled for and should be condemned by all the people in the country.”
According to the statement, “The endemic killings can best be described as inhuman, wicked, condemnable and totally unacceptable in civilised societies. The action is even more repulsive during the periods of celebrations and this is was highly condemnable.”
The statement added: “This criminal incident has once again challenged the Federal Government to be more vigilant, responsive and alive to its responsibility of providing security for lives and properties.”
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