DAMATURU—“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.
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.
