Last Wednesday, two prominent Nigerians narrowly escaped assassination in the twin suicide bombings that rocked Kaduna metropolis. The first target was a cleric and national leader ofDarika Islamic sect, Sheikh DahiruBauchi, who was returning home after concluding the Ramadan Tafsir at the Murtala Mohammed Square, Kaduna.According to an eyewitness, a security man attached to the cleric had noticed the restiveness and maneuvering of a teenage suicide bomber on a motorbike as he attempted to break into Sheikh Dahiru’s convoy. In the process of stopping him, the bomb he was bearing exploded, killing some passengers in a J5 bus and several others.
Thirty minutes later, another suicide bomber in a car was said to have rammed into the convoy of General MuhammaduBuhari around Kawo market while he was on his way to his hometown, Daura, and detonated the bomb. Although the General was unhurt, his jeep and all the three cars in his convoy were destroyed, while scores were killed.
No one needs any confirmation from Boko Haram to know the brains behind the attacks. The two tragedies that led to the death of over 100 people have the trademark of the insurgents. It is also not the first time that prominent Nigerians have been targeted for assassination by the terrorists.Instances abound: the attempted assassination of the Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Umar Garbai el Kanemi in July 2012, by a juvenile suicide bomber; the attempt on the life of Emir of Fika, Yobe state, Alhaji Mohammed AbalIbnIdrisa on August 10, 2012;the attack on the convoy of the late Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero, in January, 2013 and the murder of the Emir of Gwoza, AlhajiIdrissaTimta, on May 30, 2014. Earlier on November 7, 2012, civil war hero, Gen. MuhammaduShuwa (rtd), was gruesomely murdered in his Maiduguri residence in despite the full presence of security operatives in his neighbourhood.
Obviously, we are no longer dealing with a group of people whose original task was to foist Shariah law on Northern Nigeria but a band of misguided criminal elements whose mission is to cause anarchy and destabilize the country. Their ploy is to set Nigerians against one another. They would have achieved their aim last Wednesday had they succeeded in killing the two personalities. The nation would have been in turmoil by now.
While acknowledging the concern by President Goodluck Jonathan over the two incidents, thanking God for sparing the lives of the duo and commiserating with the families of those who lost their lives, we condemn the insinuations in some quarters that Buhari masterminded his own assassination attempt as a ploy to free himself from accusation of being a Boko Haram sympathiser. It is apparent that those who have persistently claimed that Boko Haram is the military wing of the All Progressives Congress (APC) of which Buhari is a prominent leader, are not happy that their mantra has been dismantled in the build-up to the 2015 general elections. Those who also reasoned that nothing would have happened if the duo had been killed are as naïve and evil-minded as the Boko Haram terrorists.
Even though the two attacks have Boko Haram’s imprimatur, we call on the relevant security agencies to launch a thorough investigation into the incidents and bring the perpetrators to justice. The federal government should also step up the war against terrorism while at the same time explore other avenues to tackle the insurgency that has held Nigerians captive. It is the responsibility of government to secure the lives and property of its citizens. There is no excuse for failure to guarantee this. Nigerians cannot continue to live in a state of perpetual apprehension.
