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.
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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