12:14
OptimusJ
KADUNA—Former
Head of State, General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), yesterday, said it
remained a mystery how he survived the bomb attack on his convoy in
Kaduna on Wednesday.
This came as former military president,
General Ibrahim Babangida; former Vice-President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar,
and former national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji
Bamanga Tukur, yesterday, joined several other Nigerians and
organizations in condemning the suicide attack on Buhari.
They
described it as a dangerous development. Meanwhile, Governor Mukhtar
Yero of Kaduna State has lifted the 24-hour curfew imposed on the city
following the bomb attacks.
Black jeep of Gen Buhari attacked in Kaduna on Wednesday
82
persons died in the twin bomb explosions targeted at General Buhari and
an Islamic cleric, Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi. They both escaped unhurt.
Nigeria can deal with Boko Haram — Buhari
Recounting
his experience when Governor Yero visited him at his Sultan Close
residence in Kaduna, Buhari said: “When this question of Boko Haram
started, and I am sure it is on record, in the first statement I made
about 18 months ago, I said no religion advocates what is happening in
the North East. So the case of this kind of killings is not religion; it
is also not ethnic. When they kill children in schools in the North
East, they kill teachers, they burn churches, they burn mosques, they
burn motor parks, they burn markets — where is religion there? Where is
ethnicity there? This is terrorism and I hope the government will come
to grips with it. Nigeria is capable of dealing with this. Some of us
died in the civil war for this country. For 30 months we fought and we
kept Nigeria one and, God willing, we are going to keep Nigeria one.
“I
commiserate with the families of those that died, because this thing
was ignited at exactly when my car was almost side by side with that of
the bomber. I came out of the car after the bomb went off. There was
blood on my dress. I did not know how it came about because I did not
have a scratch myself, but there were dead bodies all over the place.
The security tried to move me to the other side and we just got one of
the vehicles passing and they brought me home. I hope the law
enforcement agencies and the chief executives of the states will succeed
in securing the country. May God help us”, he said.
This bloodletting must stop — IBB
Condemning
the bomb attacks, General Babangida, in a statement yesterday said:
“The latest attack in Kaduna on Wednesday by yet unknown persons has
once again thrown up new dimensions in the political life of our dear
country. This, and several other attacks have tended to portray our dear
country as a terrorist nation that is grappling with insecurity. To
state the least, this bloodletting must stop. This bloodletting has to
stop.
“I have sat back in my quiet retirement home in Minna to
ponder what could be the motivation for these several attacks, but I am
yet to find any explanation why Nigerians would be killing fellow
Nigerians. For those of us who fought the civil war, our painful sense
of nostalgia still remains deep, as much as our patriotic attitude
towards this great country, Nigeria. These wanton killings and needless
bloodletting have continued to retard our growth and democratic journey,
forcing the system to improvise all manners of mechanisms to arrest
this descent to anarchy. It is callous and inhuman for anyone to goad
this country on the path of perfidy, a path that is laid with landmines
and bombs. This is totally unacceptable.
“Even as I sympathise
with my colleague former President, General Muhammadu Buhari for
escaping the bomber’s scalpel, I also wish to condole with the families
of those who lost their lives in this attack. It is frightening and
calls for condemnation by all well meaning people of Nigeria. We all
must rise above partisanship in our condemnation of this state of
insecurity, as we all must be united in our clear-cut resolve to find
solutions to this hydra-headed situation we find ourselves. We must see
this state of insecurity as a Nigerian problem and not one that is
pigeon-holed in any particular region, religion or tribe. Nigerians, by
virtue of their nationality, should be free to live anywhere in the
country without molestation, harassment and intimidation.
“Let me
also condole with Mr. President on this unfortunate incident and the
recurring decimal of insecurity and crime against humanity that is fast
polluting public morality. We all must join hands with Mr. President at
this critical time of our national history and democratic journey to
proffer solutions to this anti-development scenario that is fast
enveloping us.”
Halt security challenges, Atiku tells FG
Former
vice-president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in his reaction called on the
Federal Government to urgently take steps to halt the escalating
security challenges in the country, which he said has reached an
embarrassing proportion.
He said a situation where a former Head
of State and key opposition figure could be targeted by terrorists or
hatchet killers is a dangerous development, which should not be taken
lightly by any responsible Nigerian.
According to Atiku: “The
targeting of Buhari, whatever might be the motive or whoever could be
behind it, has added a dangerous dimension to a bad security situation
in the country”. He added that the attack on Buhari has only deepened
the anxiety of ordinary citizens that nobody is safe if a former Head of
State could be so targeted and almost killed but for providence”.
It’s barbaric — Tukur
Also,
former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji
Bamanga Tukur yesterday described the bomb attacks as most barbaric and
unholy.
According to Tukur, who is Nigeria’s Ambassador-at-Large,
it was unfortunate that innocent Nigerians going on their legitimate
duties were killed in the blasts, adding that for the perpetrators to
commit such heinous crime against humanity at this holy period of the
Ramadan fasting was most unholy and barbaric.
In a statement by
his spokesperson, Prince Oliver Okpala, Tukur, who noted that no right
thinking person would like to take the lives of innocent people away
against the preaching and doctrines of Christianity and Islamic
injunctions, however called on those behind the dangerous acts to have a
re-think and return to the path of religious and social rectitude.
CAN condemns attack
On
its part, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), described the
twin explosions in Kaduna and Kano at the peak of Ramadan as a clear
indication of disregard to the only true God by a sect that claimed to
be fighting God’s cause, condemning the attacks in strong terms.
Reacting
to the blast, the President of CAN, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor in a
statement said it was unfortunate that people that could be used as the
moral compass for society’s transformation were now being targeted by
terrorists.
“The attack, coming almost at the climax of the holy
month of Ramadan is a clear indication of the perpetrators’ inclination
to evil and disregard for the true God and all that are linked to him.”
PDP sympathises with Buhari, Sheikh Bauchi
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and the All Progressives
Congress also condemned the bomb attacks on the former Head of State.
The
PDP in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa
Metuh described the attacks as dastardly and unfortunate. The party also
sympathised with the cleric, Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi, who was also lucky
to have escaped unhurt.
Metuh said: “The party, while mourning the
dead, “joins all well-meaning Nigerians in thanking God for saving the
lives of General Muhammadu Buhari and Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi whose convoys
were affected in the incident.
“We sincerely sympathize with General Buhari. Our hearts go out to him and all those affected in these wicked attacks.”
It’s no-win situation for FG — APC
The
APC in a statement issued in Lagos by its National Publicity Secretary,
Alhaji Lai Mohammed said the attempted assassination of Gen. Buhari has
changed the narrative about the insurgent group and knocked the bottom
off the sinister, irresponsible and partisan colouration given to the
insurgency by the Federal Government.
APC said while no one has
yet claimed responsibility for the attack, the mere fact that it
occurred at all is a lose-lose situation for the Jonathan
Administration.
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