Teddy Nwanunobi.
Abuja (Sundiata Post) – The duo of the Senate President, Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki, and former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, have condemned the suicide bomb attacks on a mosque at the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) on the early hours of Monday.
While Saraki, who is seeking strict security measures to curb the trend, decried the loss of valuable human lives and destruction of property during the incident, Atiku, described it at as a dangerous development.
In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicly, Yusuph Olaniyonu, in Abuja, Saraki expressed concern over the rising trend of isolated Boko Haram attacks on soft targets since the liberation of the Sambisa Forest, which used to be the stronghold of the insurgents by the military.
“Such attacks have created fears among Nigerians, that in spite of the obvious defeat of the insurgents, pockets of attacks are still being perpetrated by the fleeing remnants of the outlaws,” he said.
He also noted that the attack on the University provides a cogent reason why security should be further strengthened around all educational and allied institutions to prevent reoccurrence.
“This attack calls for urgent security measures for all potential targets across the country so as to prevent the insurgents from taking undue advantage of the emerging peaceful atmosphere across the country,” he said.
While praying God to grant repose to the souls of the departed, and quick recovery for the injured, he called on Nigerians to be more vigilant and security conscious.
Also reacting through an emailed statement on Monday, Atiku, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), notes that, following the February 2014 attack on the Federal Government College, Buni Yadi, in which 40 male students were murdered, as well as the April 2014 kidnapping of over 200 girls from their school dormitory in Chibok, Nigeria has not experienced any such act of terrorism perpetrated within a school.
“The attack on UNIMAID is not just about a bomb exploding in a mosque. Once again, education in the northeast of Nigeria is under attack,” Atiku said.
The former Vice President added that a lack of education is one of the most alarming threats to security in the northeast, as many of the terrorists have been shown to be people, who have either never had the chance or ability to read the Koran for themselves, and interpret the tenets of Islam beyond the false teachings of their terrorist commanders.
“A sound education will provide our youth with the ability to analyse and make informed decisions, an opportunity that many young people in the northeast of Nigeria do not have at present, making it easy for false teachers to control them,” he said.
He noted that the attack on the UNIMAID mosque is particularly worrisome, having come at a time when the terrorist group was clearly degraded.
“We cannot afford to be complacent now or in the future,” he said.
He condoled with the families of the deceased, students and staff of UNIMAID over the loss of lives and prays for the quick recovery of the injured.