General Muhammadu Buhari, former Military Head of State, has condemned the recent killings in Nyanya park in Abuja saying those who committed the killings have declared war against the government of Nigeria.
Buhari made this known in a statement titled: “Nyanya Bomblast and the Fight Against Terrorism in Nigeria”
The statement reads thus:
NYANYA BOMBLAST AND THE FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM IN NIGERIA
BY -GENERAL MUHAMMADU BUHARI, GCFR.
Sinister terror and hatred have again reached from the shadows to steal the lives of innocent Nigerians. In Nyanya, seventy-two people were killed by a car bomb. Hundreds more were injured in the devastation. Their killings served no purpose except for those who exalt in evil. The bomb blast quickly came and went like the deadly thief it was; but we shall be left to endure the pain and loss from this terrible act for a long time to come.
What the nation lost is irreplaceable. The number 72 seems like just another grim tally among the death statistics that have become all too common. But what occurred is much more than that. We must really stop and take notice of where evil is attempting to drive us to. The abduction of over one hundred school girls is unacceptable, condemnable and saddens me greatly.
We cannot allow these merchants of death to make us numb to the tragedy they manufacture. Those who were killed were not merely numbers on a page. They were human beings, made of flesh and blood body and soul like all the rest of us. They were someone’s father or mother, brother or sister. They had parents; they were someone’s child. They were husbands or wives, neighboring friends and colleague. They had dreams and hopes. They were loved and loved others in return. Now, life has been taken away and those who cared from them must bear a grief no person should be asked to carry.
These people committed no wrong. Their only crime was to be ordinary working class people seeking to eke out a livelihood and tend for themselves and their families. For this, they were killed.
They represent the backbone of the working people. Not many of them lived an easy life. Most worked hard and long for modest wages. They lifted themselves up every morning to earn their daily bread. They faced the many social and economic challenges and obstacles our society poses, yet they worked not to destroy but to make this a better place by bettering the lives of their family and loved ones.
These people lived anonymously and died the same way. We do not yet know their names. But, in a fundamental sense, we know who they were. They were part of us. They shared the same aspirations we all do. We seek an improved fate for our children and hope to leave them a better life. We want to work and live in dignity and respect. We want a life of peace and harmony with our neighbors regardless of religion, ethnicity or background. We seek prosperity not poverty. We seek brotherly understanding not strife. We seek peace, not bombs.
It was not just 72 people who were taken in this depraved assault. Each of us lost something that day. Yet, despite the loss and suffering, we must not cower in fear, and let the purveyors of death believe they have scored a victory over us.
Those who committed this act have declared war on all that is decent and good. They have declared war not against the state or even the government. They have declared war on Nigeria and all Nigerians because this murder took men and women, old and young, Christian and Muslim alike. In trying to scare, frighten and divide us, the evildoers committed injury to their own cause. For they have shown us that we all suffer inhumanity in the same way.
No matter our religion or place of birth, we all bleed and are wounded the same way by injustice. Decency runs through the teachings of each religion and ethnic group that comprise the people of Nigeria.
We may have our differences, but the vast majority of Nigerians stand united against the appalling violence committed in Nyanya and other places.
These acts have no place in Nigeria. Those who commit them have no place in our country. The perpetrators may look like human beings. They may have limbs and faces like the rest of us but they are not like us. In killing innocent people, they have become inhuman. They live outside the scope of humanity. Their mother is carnage and their father is cruelty. They have declared war against the people of Nigeria. They have shown that they do not want to liberate the people. They want to kill them. Yet, with all the energy of their evil and ignorant hatred, they shall fail. The good people of Nigeria shall triumph.
Such a wicked mission shall not succeed. We have gone too far in our journey to nationhood and endured too much to allow these terrible acts to divert us.
Not only have these agents of death killed innocent people, they also abducted over 100 young women from their school. Why abduct school girls? Whatever they plan, they should be ready to face the wrath of Nigerian people. They should release these young girls unharmed. Anything else would be an abominable crime.
We all must take close heed at this moment and recognize the severity of what is upon us. A small minority seeks to bring the nation to its knees through terror. Thus, we must stand tall and united. We can ill afford to allow their crimes to go unpublished united.
I call on the government to improve and redefine its strategy in the light of this expanding menace. Clearly, its intelligence gathering needs to be improved so that it can break terrorist plots before they hatch. Moreover, it needs to enact greater social and economic reform in the blighted areas of the nation to win the hearts and minds of the people. Give the youth a viable alternative and they will not be duped by the lure of extremist dogma. A major initiative with immediate and long-term strategies for mass employment should be introduced right away.
Nigeria must and will overcome this scourge but it cannot do so merely by wishful thinking. We need wise and decisive strategy.
As for me and my party, we deplore and condemn these and all such attacks. Those who commit them must know that the nation stands four square against them.
While we are engaged in tight political competition against the ruling party, we shall not play politics on this issue so vital to our national survival and wellbeing.
We pledge ourselves to the unity and safety of this nation and shall do nothing to undermine national security. We seek no political advantage from this calamity and wish the present administration success in fighting it.
We stand ready to help in any meaningful and productive way to fight this battle against evil. We extend our hand and earnest offer of cooperation in this regard.
Nigeria and Nigerians have suffered enough. Those who now lead the nation and those who would lead her must overlook political differences to find whatever ways we can cooperate to make this a safer, more secure nation for all.
Thank you and May God Bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
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Now have known the intention of this great leader, then what's next?
ReplyDeleteTRUE TO YOUR THREAT, THE MONKEYS AND THE BABOONS ARE BEING SOAKED IN BLOOD. OF WHAT USE IS YOUR CROCODILE TEARS?
ReplyDeleteBc u want to contest for presidency,thats why u are now talking.Lip service.where were u when madala church was bombed ,and many other atrocities committed by bokoharam.Its only now that u are talkn to be favoured by the masses.u hv 4gten so soon that u said innocent Nigerians(bokoharams) are being killed by the govt
ReplyDeleteGen. I am a happy man today, this is exactely what i will like to be hearing from people of higher integrity like you . Ever since i had it at the back of my mind that you will not allow yourself to be drag in to politicising this issue of insecurity in nigeria. It is a collective responsibility. I thank you for the courage in dissociating your self from other opposition members who are out to score cheap political goals by politicing the issue, and also bringing religious and ethnic sentiment to over shadow the true states things at hand. God bless you. You have shown that you are a true democrat.
ReplyDelete"We will make Nigeria ungovernable" Oga, true to your words we are experiencing this. All the bad leaders in this country God shall visit you with his hanger. IJN
ReplyDeleteIts quite unfortunate that despite Boko Haram's claim of responsibility of d Nyanya bomb blast, there was no single place Gen. Buhari mentioned their name in his PR stunt. Is it dat d General is scared of dem BH or he hate to just mention an evil name dat has gone beyond his personal dream of spilling more than Baboons & Monkeys' blood? I'm really curious. Can somebody pls help me out here.
ReplyDeleteMy brother you're right on point! This General is comonflaging
DeleteI totally agree with u guys, his promise of making the country ungovernable for Jonathan is manifesting, the blood of the monkey and baboon is also manifesting! so what's the crocodile tears for? because he wants to contest election 2015 and he wants public sympathy. shame on u Buhari! bury your stupid shameless head in shame, we are wiser now, and we know you are behind book haram, only they have extended to killing muslim as well so u are angry, but when they were bombing only churches and killing only Christians every muslim being the imbecile they are fanned ignorance! now the evil foot soldier have gone haywire! mtscheeeeew Buhari go rest abeg.
DeleteThis man, still did not use the word Boko Haram, through out his self serving literature. Is he not aware that the group has even confessed to the bomb blast and murder, or he just refuses to acknowledge that his radical muslim brothers are to blame. Own up Mr General and acknowledge the existence of Boko Haram whhich became stronger by words from people like you. Read the text again. Boko Haram isn't even mentioned once. "Those who committed these acts" we know them and you know them better.
ReplyDeleteYes he avoided mentioning BH cos of their intimacy. Its all crocodile tears. The Nigerians u think u are deceing are more sensible than u. Wait until we get to d bridge.
ReplyDeleteDon't be fooled by his words he is an hypocrit trying to win the heart of nigerians to vote for him. There is nothing u can do to make pple like u.
ReplyDeleteGeneral Buhari purposely and meticulously did not mention Book Haram in his speech. Does it mean he's not aware Book Haram is the cause of these scourge? Or is he siding or hiding or protecting Book Haram from this attacks? Hmmmmm! Nigerians be aware that this General sounds really comonflaging! He's only coming out now to talk because of his Presidential ambition. Mr General I challenge you that your speech is not very sincere. God is watching!
ReplyDeleteI DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY WANT THE GENERAL TO SAY, AS THEIR HATRED FOR HIM HAS ELUDED THERE SENSES TO THINK AND TALK RATIONALLY AS HUMAN AND RESORTED TO ACT AS ANIMALS. PITY WHAT A LOW I.Q. ELEMENTS.
ReplyDeleteKhalid, in a civilize society, u condemn evil by calling it d right name. In dis case, d evil we are all talking abt is Boko Haram. Why wld a Retired General of d Nigerian Army who double as a former 3 times Presidential Aspirant b scared to call Boko. Haram by name? I'm an APC man but Gen. Buhari lost my respect d moment he failed to call Boko Haram by name as evil. What rational thinking are u referring to here? The only Low IQ I see here is in dis ur comment.
DeleteTo all those still giving stupid responses to this clarion call; you all should bury your heads in shame!!!. What sort of humans are you? every statement and actions by this one incorruptible citizen of Nigeria, that we should be proud of gets interpreted in the wrong way. When he says election rigging can lead to problems, which is true, he is accused of inciting people and now he says the fight against insurgency has to be jointly fought, you condemn him. Fools you all are.
ReplyDeleteWe are no fools, we only speak the truth! and all you muslims and your murderers can as well get the hell out of this country and form your islam country where no one will be allow to worship the one and only true God, Jehovah is HIS name! and then u can drink your own blood and eat your own flesh and see if anyone cares! nonsense. But we rather die than be Islamized!
DeleteIdiot aboki. evil demonic blood sucking fellows! our God will punish each and everyone u muslims killing Christians! useless shameless fellows! All for our oil money! idiots.
ReplyDeleteSomebody said the General didn't use the word Boko Haram through his caricature like speech. Why should he use such name? Is it not very obvious? Anyway, the General should continue to preach his old sermon of Kare Jini, Biri jini. Good luck, General!
ReplyDeletemy dears, the man don't need to call boko haram. i am sure he is to big to give them a special recognition and that is the truth. the BH are all EVIL men or machineries. there is no word better to attribute to them than evil and Satan. above all, bh is just the a mare nomenclature but they are actually evil men. genaral ve at many occasions called them with names and condemned they and ve refused to dialogue on their behave until they come out to show themselves to everybody and not ghosts. to every reasonable person, he really hit the nail by the head except to the destructive critics.
ReplyDeleteY are u pple thinking like dis? Is is mandatory he calls bokoharam? Did u nt go to sch? BH came out dat they are responsible so we all knw d source,he decided to choose anoda word bcos he is more enlightened dan u all. As a mata of fact wat if we now find out its nt BH. The fact is dat its a CLARION call dat we all shld b security conscious. GENERAL I like ur speech.the media aids to d present administration can't compose such
ReplyDeletelet buhari go and rest because what ever he may do or say will not make Nigerians vote him, he has already damaged his image. I will prefer to vote for atiku than to vote for buhari.
ReplyDeleteSome of u were nt born wen he(buhari) was in power,wat dose he still want? he shld b grateful to God fr still living nd support d young ones in govt and nt BH...all dose in support of voilence,weda(assumed) Muslims or Christians,will face d wrath of God,d father of my Lord Jesus!
ReplyDeletenigerians! reasn reason 4 once. Wil he destroy ppl dat wil vote 4 him? Wil u kil ur suporters? Ok tk it dis .goodluck sponsors boko haram 2 reduce d vote of hausa man dat wil contest. How do u c it? Thatz y hez doing notin 2 control d situation. If nt y is he adamant to it? Cnt smbody treathen n later did nt do it? Cnt smbody act to implicate somone cos of wat he had said b4? My friends plz tink of defeoce mechanism. Let us nt b decieved cos buhari raid it b4 datz y hez d sponsor. Am a niger-deltan. Plz tink wel. am nt siding any body
ReplyDeleteNow I know why this country is doomed!!! Can you read Nigerians response? ....infact I don't know how to comprehend this, are we so delusive and moronic to this extent ? How on earth do we now attached sentiment to every aspects of our live? If I may ask all this anonymous (those who are ashamed of their names or tribe) was he (buhari) the that makes the statement about "ungovernable"? You guys should try and get the fact before "crucifixions"
ReplyDeleteWrong is wrong even if everyone is doing it and right is right even if you're the only doing it
adeola, believe it or leave it bukhari is master minder of the insurgency in this country.
ReplyDeleteU can now c dat even d presidency applauded him
ReplyDeleteok i agree dat buhari is d masteq*pmind behind insurgence. What can u n ur jonathan do about it. Foolish peopl
ReplyDelete