Terrorism: Rep urges Jonathan to apologise to victims of Nyanya bombing, abduction

Chairman of the House Committee on Diaspora Affairs, Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, yesterday, asked President Goodluck Jonathan to apologise to families of victims of Nyanya bomb blast and parents of the 234 students abducted at Government Girls College in Borno State by Boko Haram insurgents. She also urged the Federal Government to seek internal and external help in efforts to checkmate the acitivites of the Boko Haram sect. Dabiri-Erewa, who gave the charge at a “Girls in ICT Day” workshop in Lagos, said the apology became necessary because the President chose to engage in political rally in Kano State in the face of these incidents. *File photo: President Jonathan, Senate President David Mark and others at the scene of the blast at Nyanya , Abuja, Monday. Photo: Olamikan Olugbenga. Dabri-Erewa, who represents the Ikorodu Constituency of Lagos State, in the House of Representatives, said she was worried that there was no compassion in governance in Nigeria anymore, considering the decision of President Goodluck Jonathan to participate in a rally in Kano, a day after the bomb blast that claimed the lives of innocent Nigerians. She described President Jonathan’s visit to Kano to sing and dance a day after the Nyanya bombing and on a day 234 girls were abducted in Borno as insensitive, callous, pre-posterous and annoying. She called on President Jonathan to apologise not only to the families and victims of the Nyanya bombings, but also to the families of the abducted girls and all Nigerian women. Dabiri-Erewa also called on all mothers to be united and mobilise in demanding and pleading for the release of the abducted girls. She noted that the need for Nigeria to seek outside help had become necessary, following continued attacks on Nigeria by the Boko Haram sect. ”There are Nigerian experts on security in diaspora that could be contacted/consulted by government to assist. ”The recent bombing in Nyanya, an outskirt of the Federal Capital territory and the abduction of over 200 girls from a secondary school in Borno has shown that efforts by the nation’s security do not seem to be working effectively. ”The fight on terrorism is yet to curb the insurgency situation in Nigeria and such huge security challenge cannot be allowed to continue. ”Nigeria needs assistance even from security experts accross the globe that must not necessarily be Nigerians,” she stated. The lawmaker decried the abduction of innocent little girls by the Boko Haram sect and appealed to them to set them free. According to her, as long as Nigeria can no longer guarantee the safety of its young ones, there is need for wider consultations. ”The little ones are the hope and future of this nation. We cannot sit and watch them being destroyed daily,” she further stated.