"I was shot on my
left leg, while I was sleeping. When I woke up, I could not walk and was
later taken to the girls hostel where the insurgents gathered us with the
female students. They selected some of the female students and went away with
them, while they left some of us groaning in pain from gun shot”.
Those were the words of 14-year-old Ibrahim Musa
Lampo, a JSS 2 student of Federal Government College, FGC, Bunu Yadi, Yobe
State who was one of the lucky survivors of the Boko Haram massacre on Tuesday,
which claimed the lives of 43 students. The insurgents also burnt the hostels,
classrooms and more than 40 houses during the attack.
 |
| A survivor of the Yobe massacre |
Ibrahim who recounted his experience
while groaning in pains was receiving treatment for gunshot injuries at the
General Sani Abacha Specialist Hospital, Damaturu.
His mother, Hajiya Hauwa Lampo, who
was sitting beside him on the hospital bed lamented the inability of government
to protect the lives of the innocent students. The mother passionately appealed
to the Federal Government to “provide adequate security for all unity schools
in Nigeria, particularly in the north eastern region of the country by
constructing a fence that will shield the students from intruders. And if the
government can not deploy adequate security personnel, they should despatch
sniffer dogs into the schools to patrol every nook and corner and this will go
a long way in curbing the insurgency.”
Ibrahim’s father, Mallam Musa Lampo,
an immigration officer was still in shock over the incident and simply said: “I
have committed everything into the hands of God.”
Boko Haram attacks
Thousands of Nigerians from the
troubled North eastern states are fleeing into Niger Republic as the Boko Haram
attacks heightens fears in the region.
A source in the North-East,
yesterday, said tens of thousands of people have gone to Niger Republic to
escape a wave of attacks and bombings by Islamist sect Boko Haram, which is
fighting to carve out an Islamic country from the northern states.
The government in Niamey has granted
them refugee status, but United Nations workers say it has also banned the
construction of formal camps, fearing any structures could encourage an even
bigger influx — or even bring fighters over the border.
“We’re living on the charity and
hospitality of locals and aid organizations,” said 28-year-old Umara. “It’s
difficult to feed my family. We eat once a day, twice at best.”
A spokesman for Niger’s Interior
Ministry was not immediately available for comment. But Hassane Ardo Ido,
General-Secretary of Diffa province, said authorities feared militants might
infiltrate the camps and use them as bases. “We are trying to handle the
situation and stop any act that could hurt our security,” he said.
The United Nations High Commission
for Refugees, UNHCR, country representative in Niger, Karl Steinacker, said
Niamey was particularly worried because most of the refugees came from the Kanuri
ethnic group, a stronghold of Boko Haram.
“The authorities are worried the
Nigerian insurgency might spill over into Niger,” he said.
Meanwhile, condemnations have
continued to trail the massacre of the students.
Perpetrators should be swiftly brought
to justice —UN Scribe
United Nations Secretary General,
Ban Ki-Moon in a statement issued, yesterday, in New York, strongly condemned
the brutal killing of students in Yobe. He expressed “sincere condolences to
the bereaved families and hoped that the perpetrators would be “swiftly brought
to justice”.
It’s declaration of war—Mark
Senate President, David Mark in his
reaction described last Tuesday’s slaughter of over 40 students by Boko Haram
insurgents as an open declaration of war on Nigerians.
Senator Mark who condemned the
killing in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Paul Mumeh said
that the insurgents had no justification to kill students who neither offended
them nor committed any crime, saying “even in war situations, children and women
were always spared.”
The Senate President said: “This
open declaration of war on everybody especially defenceless students cannot be
justified. This is inhuman, it is animalistic and barbaric. It is unthinkable
that this is happening in Nigeria. It is also curious that under an emergency
rule when security operatives should be on red alert, this mayhem still
persists. Honestly, this calls for soul searching and I believe the security
authorities must rise to this challenge.”
Killings wicked, horrendous —Tambuwal
Speaker of the House of
Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, also described the killings as ignoble,
wicked and horrendous. In a statement issued in Abuja by his Special Adviser on
Media and Public Affairs, Malam Imam Imam, Tambuwal tasked security agencies to
redouble their efforts and change their tactics, especially now that those
engaged in the killings had increased their attacks on softer targets. He said
the only way to console the families of the victims and Nigerians was to fish
out perpetrators of the dastardly act and bring them to justice.
Sultan condemns Yobe killings
The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Saad
Abubakar condemned the killing, saying it was a senseless killing perpetrated
by criminals. “The barbaric and heinous attack is utterly condemnable in its
totality,” the Sultan said.
He recalled similar attacks in the
past and called on the Federal Government to wake up to its responsibility of
protecting lives and property of Nigerians, especially the North East.
“Human lives are sacred and must be
treated as so,” he said.
Killings extremely shocking — PDP
National leadership of the Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP, on its part described as extremely shocking the massacre
of the students of Federal Government College, Bunu in Yadi, Yobe.
In a statement, yesterday, PDP
National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, said that as a party, it has
been grief-stricken since it received the news of the gruesome killing of the
students.
Metuh who described the attack and
killing of the harmless students as “monstrous and extremely shocking, said,
“The massacre of these harmless students cannot be justified under any guise.”
President should visit Yobe State
—APC
The All Progressives Congress (APC)
on its part unreservedly condemned the horrific attack on the Federal
Government College in Yobe state.
In a statement issued in Lagos
yesterday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the
party said the attacks, which were extremely gory even by the scorched-earth
tactics of the terrorists, plumbs the depth of horror.”
APC called on President Jonathan to
immediately visit the state to offer succour to the families of the victims and
the state government.
Senate asks COAS to relocate to
Maiduguri
The Senate on Wednesday directed the
Chief of Army Staff, COAS, Lt-Gen. Kenneth Minimah to relocate his office to
the 7th Division in Maiduguri and take urgent and appropriate steps to quell
the killings by the Islamic sect, Boko Haram in Borno and other states in the
North East.
The Senator George Sekibo-led Senate
Committee on Defence and Army which said it regretted the Yobe slaughter
advised the COAS to re-strategize on possible new ways of curbing the excesses
of the terrorist group and also mobilise all available military resources and
face the insurgents.
The Committee said, “We heard of
your planned relocation to Maiduguri, we hereby as the Committee overseeing
your activities, direct that your office relocate temporarily to the 7th
Division in Maiduguri and that you take urgent and appropriate steps to quell
the situation.
“From today, all schools and health
institutions should be provided with special security, as we do not want a
repeat of these killings of our innocent citizens.
Clerics condemn attack
Chairman of the Christian Association
of Nigeria, CAN in the North East, Rev. Shuaibu M. Byal, called on President
Jonathan to do something decisive to arrest the current madness, asking “or how
many more innocent persons must be killed before the government comes to our
aid?
In a similar development, the
Prelate Methodist Church Nigeria, His Eminence Samuel Uche also expressed great
shock and sadness over the gruesome attacks by gunmen suspected to be Boko
Haram sect members.
