Boko Haram: Fear persists over fresh attacks on New Year day
BY OKEY NDIRIBE
ABUJA- There is growing fear that the Boko Haram Islamic fundamentalist sect which is believed to have sponsored the suicide attack on St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, Madalla, Niger State on Christmas day may strike again on New Year day.
A group of Christian leaders from Madalla Community expressed this fear last Tuesday when they marched to the headquarters of an electronic media house within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to draw the attention of the security agencies and the public.
There is no doubt that the terrorist act which resulted in the loss of scores of innocent lives has spread fear amongst many residents of the once quiet town. For instance, daily attendance of morning mass by Catholic faithful at the bombed church has since dwindled.
This was confirmed by the Parish Priest of the Church Rev. Father Isaac Achi while speaking to journalists in his office last Wednesday. The man of God expressed disappointment over the development and posed the question “What do they expect from Christians in a place like Jos, Plateau State who have been daily subjected to this sort of experience?”
The anger and tension which still persist among Christian residents of the town seem to be anchored on the fact that miscreants who perpetrated several atrocities in the town in the past were still walking the streets as free agents.
Indeed, there was outrage in Madalla not long after the blast occurred. It was learnt that relatives of those who lost their lives during the blast had immediately embarked on a protest before security operatives were deployed to the town to maintain the peace. Prior to the bombing incident, there was a palpable feeling of fatalistic resignation among the
Alledged Boko Haram members and their late leader, Yusuf
Christian community in the town due to the inability of the Police to find the perpetrators of an earlier mass murder.
A resident of the town who gave his name simply as Austin said since last September when five Igbo traders were murdered in cold blood by suspected Boko Haram members for their inability to recite portions of the Holy Koran, the Police had been unable to arrest any suspect in connection with the incident.
Nevertheless, there are indications that the Federal Government has taken steps to allay the fears of residents of the town by deploying soldiers and policemen in certain strategic spots. Already the soldiers have cordoned off a section of Suleja Road where the deadly bomb was detonated.
Despite this, tension has remained high in Madalla as business activities within the town were still at a low level when Saturday Vanguard visited last Wednesday. Many passers-by along the road still wore grim looks reflecting the prevaling melancholic mood.
This notwithstanding, there was a mild drama when a motorcyclist- who was believed to be drunk- rode through a security check point without stopping despite being ordered to do so. The man was hotly pursued by the soldiers and policemen and eventually forced to stop by other soldiers who placed a thick wood on his path. The motorcyclist was given the beating of his life by the enraged soldiers who stripped him half-naked and forced him to walk for a while with his knees.
However, it is doubtful if the presence of the soldiers would instill the confidence it was designed to provide among the shell-shocked Christian community in the town and other violence prone parts of the country. This is because there is growing frustration among Christians that Government at all levels have not been able to protect them from the hands of the Boko Haram terrorists.
This may have informed the call by the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor that Christian faithful across the country should protect themselves, their property and churches in any way they could, against any attack.
He described the Madalla bomb blast as “madness that should not be talked about among human beings,” adding that Christian faithful should expect the unexpected “when you are in the world but our belief in God must be stronger now.”
He maintained that although the Muslim community had taken a good step by visiting and sympathising with Christians and victims of the bomb blast, it was not enough.
Said he: “We see this as pure madness, normal people don’t behave like this, even animals have value for each other, not to talk of human beings.”
Earlier in the day, the Committee of Imams of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) together with a representative of the Sultan of Sokoto Mohammed Saad Abubakar had paid a condolence visit to Rev. Fr. Achi.
The group which was led by Imam Tajudeen Muhammadu Adigun condemned the suicide attack on the church and deplored other acts of violence which have been perpetrated in the name of Islam in Nigeria and other parts of the world emphasizing that such acts were a deviation from the teachings of the religion.
Said he: “Islam is a religion of peace. May Allah continue to give us peace in our hearts, in our families and in our country.”
He further stated that the group had visited victims of the blast at the National Hospital Abuja and General Hospital Gwagwalada where they were receiving treatment adding the delegation felt it had a duty to visit the Church and commiserate with the Priest and other members of the Parish over the tragedy.
Adigun lamented that the attack was not only on members of the church parish but on the entire nation adding that even the car of a member of the delegation who was driving along the road on the day of blast was also affected.
The Representative of Sultan of Sokoto, who is also the Chairman of Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs Alhaji Abdulkareem Muazu spoke in a similar vein while conveying the Sultan’s condolences to the Parish Priest.
In his response to the remarks of Adigun, the Parish Priest of the Church Rev. Fr. Achi expressed appreciation for the visit by the group adding that it was the first of its kind.
He further stated that by taking this bold step to pay a condolence visit to the parish, the Islamic group had demonstrated that it was committed to the unity of Nigeria.
Speaking to some journalists earlier, he stated that the death toll that has been published so far by the media may be inaccurate, as several passers-by, were also killed by the blast.
He further stated that the church was still trying to compile a list of the casualties adding that already five persons who were members of the parish had been categorized as missing.
