Former Vice Atiku Abubakar has expressed anger and sadness at the bombings
of the Nyanya Bus Park in the suburbs of Abuja that left scores dead and
many injured.
The former Vice President said in a statement by his media office in Abuja
that this needless bloodletting cannot continue unabated and requires new
strategies to nip it in the bud.
He described those behind the bombings as evil and callous with scant
regard for the sanctity of human life.
Atiku said the latest bombings by insurgents should be a wake-up call to
all Nigerians on the imperative of ending the trade-blame game and working
together to end this scourge.
“As a country, we are not doing enough of focusing on and implementing
solutions,” the former Vice President said. “We are all guilty of
expending endless energy on handwringing and the trading of blame, none of
which is able to save lives or change the status quo.”
The former Vice President recalled that government had in February this
year spoken about its successes in pushing Boko Haram to the “fringes” of
the North East, where a state of emergency currently exists in a number of
states, and where the Boko Haram terrorist group has carried out many
recent and deadly attacks.
The bombings, which took place at a motor park in Nyanya a suburb of the
Federal Capital Territory, automatically cast doubts on the claims of
containing the crisis to the fringes of the country.
“There is an urgent need for the government of Nigeria to review its
methods and strategies for dealing with terrorism,” Atiku said.
He called for a step up in intelligence, listening posts, picking up
trends and conversations with a view to pre-empting terrorist attacks.
The former Vice President also stated that it is time for Nigeria to
accept foreign assistance with fighting terrorism in the country.
While expressing his condolences to the families of those who lost loved
ones in the bombings, the former Vice President urged well-meaning
Nigerians in and around the Federal Capital Territory to heed the call of
National Blood Transfusion Centre (NBTC) by voluntarily donating blood at
the National Hospital Abuja to save the lives of survivors.