Outrage greets massacre, tear-gassing of elder statesmen

* Mark, Tambuwal, Atiku, Adegbuyi, others speak

* Be prepared for more attacks – Boko Haram

* SNG calls off ‘victory rally’

By Our reporters

OUTRAGE, yesterday, greeted Friday’s series of bomb blasts in the commercial city of Kano, which, at press time, have claimed over  162 lives including Channels’ Television, Kano correspondent, Enenche Godwin Akogwu.

Unarguably the most destructive in the over 30 explosions linked to the  Islamic sect, Boko Haram, Nigerians, who commented on the issue, urged  decisive action on the part of government to halt the recurring and increasing harvest of deaths.

A similar condemnation also trailed the police tear-gassing of eminent citizens such as Professor Ben Nwabueze (SAN), Dr. Kalu Idika Kalu and Dr. Tunji Braithwaite, among others, who were protesting Federal Government’s deployment of soldiers in Lagos, last Thursday.

This is as Boko Haram promised to unleash more violence on the polity and the Save Nigeria Group (SNG)  called off its “victory rally”, scheduled for yesterday at the Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park, Ojota, Lagos.

Among those who spoke on the issues, yesterday, were Senate President David Mark; House of Representatives Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal; Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu; former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; African Union (AU) commission chairman Jean  Ping; Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF); and interior minister Abba Morro.

One of the victims of the explosions and gun attacks in Kano at the Murtala Mohammed General Hospital.

Why we attacked – Boko Haram

Meanwhile,   Abul Qaqa, who claimed to be the spokesman of Boko Haram, in a phone chat with journalists in Kano, claimed that the attacks were in response to the refusal of the Kano State government to release fellow terrorists arrested in the state.

He said they were forced to resort to the attacks after an open letter sent in 2011 to prominent people in the state was ignored.

Perpetrators are ungodly – Mark

Mark described the perpetrators of the massacre as ungodly and reiterated his call on the members of Boko Haram to sheathe their swords in the corporate interest of the nation and Nigerians.

In a statement by his Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, the Senate President  stressed that  government was awake to issues of insecurity, even as he urged security agencies not to leave any stone unturned in unraveling those behind these dastardly acts.

Tambuwal urges  respect for human life

Tambuwal  urged all Nigerians to respect the sanctity of human life while voicing their grievances, saying the Kano multiple blasts called for greater concern and sober reflection. In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Imam Imam, the House speaker  decried the needless  shedding of blood when the country was yet to recover from a general strike.

Such an act, he  noted, will  send wrong signals to the international community that the country is not safe for investors. According to him, the surest way to resolve any differences is through dialogue and therefore challenged those with grievances in all parts of the country to follow the path of dialogue instead of violence.

Ekweremadu urges FG to rise up to the challenge

Ekweremadu urged the Federal Government to rise up to the challenge of Boko Haram by providing adequate security to Nigerians.

Speaking with newsmen at the Presidential Wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, he lamented  that the menace of Boko Haram was a major challenge for the Federal Government.

Interior minister tasks security agencies

Minister of Interior  Abba Morro, condemning the Kano explosions, said, “it is not religion, it’s not ethnic, but a senseless war, man’s inhumanity to man”.

He described the action as an unjustified declaration of war against the country. “It is time to stop Boko Haram , no matter what it takes”.

Consequently, the minister called on all security agencies to raise their surveillance flags to the highest level , particularly in public places, churches, and mosques, with a view to dictating and preventing further attacks from the sect.

ACF disowns Boko Haram

ACF  frowned at insinuations in some quarters that northern religious and political leaders were discretely supporting the Boko Haram Islamic sect in its bombing activities in the country, pointing out that the fact that the sect has its bases in the north does not mean that northern leaders support them.

ACF, which spoke through its national publicity secretary, Mr Anthony said, that there was no society without deviants, adding that Boko Haram  should be regarded as such.

AU condolences

African Union commission chairman Jean Ping condemned “in the strongest terms” the attacks and expressed his condolences to the families of those killed and his concern for the many people who were injured.

The AU rejects terrorism in all its forms, the statement said, and gives Nigeria its full backing in its efforts to end terror attacks.

Govt must seek creative solution – ACN

Lamenting that the attacks had highlighted the Federal Government’s cluelessness on how to tackle the Boko Haram crisis as the group got more brazen and the crisis deepened, the ACN, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said it was an irony that the government that deployed armed troops against unarmed citizens in Lagos could not checkmate those who were posing a real threat to national security, leaving them to run amok and mow down security agents and ordinary citizens, including a journalist who was shot in the line of duty.

It warned that the longer the government dithers in seeking a creative solution to the crisis, the more emboldened Boko Haram would become, and the more the likelihood that the crisis would push Nigeria to the precipice.

Atiku expresses shock

To Atiku, who expressed deep shock and outrage over the coordinated bombings in Kano, the security agents must step up their intelligence gathering initiatives to avert a repeat of Friday’s incident in Kano and the one that took place in Yenagoa yesterday

In a statement by his Media Office in Abuja, the former vice president said, was benumbed by the orgy of violence and destruction of lives and properties that were visited on the ancient city of Kano.

Why we called off rally – SNG

SNG said it decided to call off the ‘victory  rally’ it planned for, yesterday, based on security reports that hoodlums were out to hijack the rally. The rally was to celebrate the peoples victory over the reduction in the pump price of petrol from N141 to N97.

In a statement by its spokesman, Mr Yinka Odukmakin, the group said the suspension of the rally was “based on the unprecedented terror attack in Kano in which several police formations and other institutions were rocked by bomb blasts with unspecified number of deaths recorded 24 hours to a planned protest in the city.”