Utomi, others call for national emergencySome Nigeriansand The MuslimCongress (TMC) in Lagos, on Monday, said the Christmas day bomb attacks in the country called for a national emergency.The people told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in separate interviews that the loss of innocent Nigerians through the activities of the Boko Haram sect was threatening the sovereignty of Nigeria.Professor Pat Utomi, former presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Mega Party in the April general election, said that the attacks had stretched the nation's patience.'The Christmas day bomb blast is a great tragedy coming on a day that represents peace on earth as Christians celebrate the birth of Christ.'This latest development calls for a national emergency and the need for a summit for Nigerians to decide where the nation is going,' Utomi said.He said that where the nation was heading could no longer be left in the hands of security officials alone.'It is obvious that these officials seem not to understand what is going on and how to handle it. Nigerian people must sit to discuss the way forward, and ignoring this would spell greater disaster for the nation.'Chief Maxi Okwu, the Coordinator of the Patriotic Alliance of Nigeria (PAN), an association of opposition political parties, said that the 'government security agencies across the nation seem to be losing the war on terrorism.'The government must change its tactics by doing more of counter-terrorism, intelligence gathering and infiltration,' Okwu said.He said that there was immediate need for Nigerians to sit down and talk before the carnage ripping across the country became impossible to handle.'Nigeria must go back to the original agreement on federalism which has been lost. The Federal Government must coordinate and finetune the basic agreement,' he said.Muslim group condemnsattacksThe Muslim Congress, (TMC), anon-political organisation, has condemned the bombing and massacre of some Nigerians celebrating Christmas by suspected members of the Boko Haram sect.The leader of the congress, Mallam Abdulraheem Lukman, in a statement made available to journalists in Ilorin on Monday, described "the endemic killings as inhuman, wicked, condemnable and totally unacceptable in civilised societies."The action is even more repulsive during the periods of celebrations," the statement added."The group also challenged the Federal Government to be more vigilant, responsive and alive to its responsibility of providing adequate security.The congress, which said that whatever motivated the various bombings of Nigerians did not find place and theological justification in Islam, added that the solution to whatever disagreement definitely was not killing, but dialogue and tolerance.It appealed to all Nigerians, irrespective of their religious and ideological inclinations, to cooperate with the Federal Government and security agencies and report suspicious moves and antics.Give peace a chance, Agoro tells Boko Haram sectThe national patriarch of the AladuraCommunion, Dr Olapade Agoro, has charged members of the dreaded Boko Haram sect to give peace a chance.Dr Agoro, who stated this in a statement against the background of the Crtistmas bombings in some parts of the country, said since the God worshipped by both Christians and Muslims is a God of peace, adherents of the two religions should, at this time of the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, make the celebration peaceful and joyous.'The significance and relativity of the birth of Jesus Christ as pronounced and confirmed by the holy books, particularly The Holy Bible and the Holy Quran, is that HE is the WORD of God.'Irrespective of how Jesus Christ was born, where and when he was born, one clear fact that is permanently assured is that He comes from the Almighty God, is of God and the confirmed power of God the author and creator of the universe.'Those having scores to settle with the Federal Government, in particular the Boko Haram insurgents, must see it as a necessity to allow peace and while those in governance should reach out to the people of this nation with non-violent actions and peace guaranteeing palliative measures,' he said.Islamic groups condemn bombingsTwo Islamicorganisations, theMuslim Public Affairs Centre (MPAC) and Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), have condemned the bombings of some places of worship in the northern part of the country on the Christmas day.The organisation, in separate statements issued in Lagos, described the bombings as un-Islamic.MPAC's Director of Media and Communications, Disu Kamor, said that the indiscriminate and reckless bombings of innocent Nigerians who were peacefully engaged in acts of worship had again unmasked the criminal nature and motive of the evil perpetrators.Hexplained that the targeting of worshipers in places of worship was an abhorrent act which contravened the principles of Islam, humanity and logic, saying that the subsequent bloodbath was an incredible tragedy which words failed to describe.According to MPAC, those who committed acts of terror, murder and cruelty in the name of Islam were not only destroying innocent lives, but were also betraying the values of the faith they claimed to represent.MURIC's Director, Dr Is-haq Akintola, said that nothing in the scriptures of Islam justified the kind of attack and declared that the Boko Haram sect was not fighting for Nigerian Muslims.'Bombings may spark off disintegration of Nigeria'AS condemnationscontinue to trailthe Christmas day bombings in Niger and Plateau states by the Boko Haram sect, which led to the death of over 40 Christians, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has raised the alarm that such developments were capable of leading to the disintegration of Nigeria.Describing the bombing deliberately targeted at Christians celebrating Christmas in churches as barbaric and an act of callousness, the party asserted that 'if the spate of explosions and killings being perpetrated by the Boko Haram sect are not checkmated, the nation risks imminent disintegration.'In a statement signed by the ACN national youth leader, Mr Ebikibina Miriki, a copy of which was made available to the Nigerian Tribune in Yenagoa, on Monday, the party contended that 'should the violent acts of Boko Haram extremists continue unabated, there may be reprisal attacks in other parts of the country, a development that could threaten the corporate existence of the nation.'Fayemi condemnsbombings, advises FGEkiti State governor, Dr KayodeFayemi, has condemned the Christmas day terror attacks on churches in northern parts of the country that led to the death of over 35 people.Governor Fayemi, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Olayinka Oyebode, which was made available to newsmen in Ado Ekiti on Monday, also decried the destruction of property that followed the attacks on Christmas day, describing the act as 'worrisome.'The governor, in the statement, called for more vigilance on the part of the government and the entire people of the country and 'it is time the security agencies came up with a more strategic approach to the fight against the actual masterminds of the terror acts rather than pursuing the foot soldiers, who have tried to give the attacks a religious coloration, by attacking churches.'Fayemi, while calling on the authorities to 'rise to the occasion by matching words with actions,' said 'the seeming helplessness being displayed is sending wrong signals to the citizens and the outside world.'Sylva condemns acts, cautions against reprisal attacksThe governor ofBayelsa State,Chief Timipre Sylva, on Monday in Yenagoa, described the Christmas day bombings in some parts of Northern Nigeria as 'a senseless criminal behaviour by enemies of humanity.'He, however, pleaded with patriotic Nigerians not to be provoked into reprisal actions, warning that such development portended dangers to the unity of the country.In a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Doifie Ola, Sylva said 'these blasts on Christmas day, targeted at innocent worshippers, are condemnable in every sense of moral rationality. This is a senseless act of violence by enemies of humanity. It is strange to the Nigerian character, and does not honour any faith or tradition.'The governor maintained that everybody must eschew acts which could jeopardise the peaceful co-existence among all the ethnic groups in the nation.While commiserating with the bereaved families and the church in Nigeria, Sylva admitted that tempers were rising as a result of the dastardly acts of the extremist elements, stressing that 'Nigerians should resist any temptation to descend into retaliations, because such a spontaneous response would not augur well for the interest of all.'We should not be provoked into revenge and wasting of more lives by this senseless bloodshed by enemies of humanity. We should rather join hands with the Federal Government in the efforts to isolate and stop the perpetrators.'Unnecessary bombing, adistraction to national unity - ImokeCross River Stategovernor, Senator Liyel Imoke, has described the Christmas day bomb explosions at St. Theresa Catholic Church at Madalla, Suleja, as an extreme act of terrorism and a distraction to national unity and corporate existence of Nigeria.An official statement signed by Governor Imoke's Special Assistant on Media and Chief Press Secretary, Mr Omini Oden, Imoke said the senseless bombing was a grievous strike at the very heart of Christianity and an act of provocation directed at the Christian community in the country.The statement added that the bombing that led to the death of many innocent souls revealed the dark heart of the perpetrators, who, by all judgement, were enemies of progress.Governor Imoke lamented the enormous destruction and regretted the colossal waste of innocent lives.He commended the love and courage displayed by Nigerians and emergency agencies in attending to and moving the injured to the hospital.Senator Imoke urged Christians and the public to find strength from these tragic incidents and resist the temptation to engage in reprisal acts.He stressed that in the spirit of the festive season, it was critical for the nation to break down the barriers of hatred and fear and co-exist as brothers in oneness.
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