Nigeria Joins World to Condemn Norway Attacks

Ndubuisi Ugah

24 July 2011

The Nigerian government Saturday joined world leaders, including President Barack Obama of the United States, Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Australia’s Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Pope Benedict XVI in condemning the attacks in Norway, following last Friday’s bomb explosion in Oslo, the country’s capital, and a shooting spree on the Norwegian island of Utoya.

The Nigerian’s government’s condemnation was contained in a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reports News Agency of Nigeria.

The statement said Nigeria received with great shock, the report of the attacks that occurred in the main government building in Oslo and a youth camp in Utoya Island.

“Nigeria strongly condemns these dastardly acts which has brought untold hardship on the families of the victims; it is hoped that no efforts will be spared in bringing the perpetrators to justice,” it said.

The statement said the attack was made more reprehensible because Norway had been known as a peaceful and liberal society with no experience of acts of terrorism.

“The government and people of Nigeria commiserate with the government and people of Norway, especially the families of those who lost their lives,” it said.

While the condemnation was rife from countries and global leaders, the Norwegian Prime Minister, Mr. Jens Stoltenberg, has described the deadly attacks that killed about 91 people as the deadliest day in the country’s peacetime history.

“This is beyond comprehension. It’s a nightmare. It’s a nightmare for those who have been killed, for their mothers and fathers, family and friends,” Stoltenberg said yesterday before meeting with survivors of the shooting spree that occurred just hours after a deadly blast ripped through Oslo.

A massive explosion on Friday shook the government quarters in the Norwegian capital, Oslo, ripping through the high rise building that was home to Stoltenberg’s office.

A short while later, a youth retreat for the prime minister’s centre-left party being held on the nearby island of Utoya was targeted by gunman who went on a shooting rampage that left about 91 people dead.

Though the prime minister cautioned against jumping to conclusions about the gunman’s motives, both attacks were in areas connected to the left-leaning Labour Party, which leads a coalition government.

Reacting to the attacks late Friday, President Obama said, “It’s a reminder that the entire international community has a stake in preventing this kind of terror from occurring.”

Obama extended his condolences to Norwegians and offered US assistance with the investigation, stating that he remembered how warmly Norwegians treated him in Oslo, when he accepted the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009.

On her part, Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II wrote to Norway’s King Harald to offer her condolences and expressed her shock and sadness at the shooting attacks in his country.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Friday he was “intensely saddened” by the shootings and bombings that have shaken the Scandinavian country. He called the acts barbarous and senseless.

Also, Australian Prime Minister, Julia Gillard indicated her country’s preparedness to help in any way it can. She called the shocking acts “brutal” and “evil.”

“People have been killed, many more have been injured and from the tales that are now being told by survivors it’s clear many have lived through absolute nightmares,” Gillard said.

Pope Benedict XVI also extended condolences through his envoy to Norway, Archbishop Paul Tscherrig. In the condolence message aired through the Vatican Radio, Pope Benedict said: “All these actions are irrational and difficult to comprehend, whether they had personal or political reasons.”

He added that the Roman Catholic Church is praying for the victims and will remember them at Sunday Mass.

The blast in Oslo, Norway’s capital and the city where the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded, left a square covered in twisted metal, shattered glass and documents expelled from surrounding buildings.

The youth camp, about 35 kilometres northwest of Oslo, is organised by the party’s youth wing, and the prime minister had been scheduled to speak there Saturday.

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