27 December 2011
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.
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