President Goodluck Jonathan has sent a word of encouragement to the security forces both in Nigeria and Cameroon to remain resolute, and not be discouraged by the desperation of the agents of evil represented by Boko Haram.
He believes that with the continued cooperation between Nigeria’s security forces and their counterparts in neighbouring countries, the war against terror will surely be won.
The President, in a statement by his special adviser on media and publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, condemned the recent terrorist attacks in Kano and Adamawa States as well as the kidnap of the Lamido of Kolofata in Northern Cameroon, Lamido Seini Lamine and the wife of the Vice Prime Minister of Cameroon.
This is even as he sympathized with the families of all those who lost their loved ones in the Kano and Adamawa attacks, wishing the injured speedy recovery.
President Jonathan regretted the deployment of young women as suicide bombers which he said represents a new low in the inhuman campaign by these terrorists and an expression of utter disregard for the dignity of the female gender as well as a wicked exploitation of the girl-child.
He stressed that the abduction of the Lamido of Kolofata and the wife of the Vice premier of Cameroon underscored the regional security threat that Boko Haram has become.
He commended the recent resolve by the Defence Ministers of Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Benin and Niger to further strengthen existing partnerships in order to forestall the desperate attempt by misguided elements to turn the sub-region into a battleground for terrorism and radical extremism. [myad]

Kano, the capital city of Kano state has been in the news since last week as members of Boko Haram pound it with bomb blasts, the latest of which is the one that occurred today at the NNPC Mega Station in Hotoro Quarters, along Maiduguri Road.

Only yesterday, bomb explosions rocked three different parts of the state capital, the most devastating being the one that killed at least five people and injured eight others at the Catholic Church in the Sabon Gari area of town. The same yesterday, a female suicide bomber met her death while attempting to blow up the campus of the Bayero University.

The blast today was reported to have killed four people including the suicide bomber. Eight others that were buying kerosine were injured in the blast, but the station was spared from burning.

Security Forces later cordoned off the scene, and the Police Bomb Disposal personnel searched the area for more Improvised Explosive Devices.

The female bomber had reportedly slipped into the crowd of residents buying kerosene at the station before detonating the explosives.

The Police confirmed the death of the suicide bomber and three others, noting that the eight persons that were injured had been rushed to the hospital.

A statement on the police website, said that the NNPC station was not set ablaze “due to the security barricade put in place by the Policemen on duty at the station,” adding that this would have complicated the emergency response.

“Citizens are advised to stay off the scene, be vigilant and report any suspicious person(s) or activities to security forces. Full scale investigation has commenced, intensive patrol of the city is ongoing,” the statement by Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, said.

The blast at St. Charles Catholic church, Kano, on Sunday was caused by also caused by a female suicide bomber.
The Police said it had arrested five male suspects for their complicity in the bomb attacks on the church and other places in the city.

Three of the suspects were picked up for their involvement in the attack on the church while the two others, were were arrested in connection with the foiled bomb attack at Isyaku Rabiu Mosque in Kano. [myad]

President Goodluck Jonathan has made it clear that Nigeria would have by now been thrown into turmoil if the insurgents had succeeded in killing General Muhammadu Buhari and Sheikh Dahiru Usman Bauchi in the recent Kaduna twin bomb attacks.
The President who received in audience today, Muslims in Abuja that paid him Sallah homage in the Presidential Villa, Abuja said it was by the grace of God that such calamity was averted.
“If General Muhammadu Buhari and Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi had been killed in the Kaduna twin bomb attacks, we wonder what would have happened. Of course, we wouldn’t have gathered here to celebrate Eid-el-Fitri. This country would have been in turmoil now. We thank God for steering away this calamity that would have befallen this country.”
President Jonathan described General Buhari as a leading political figure in Nigeria with massive followership, apart from being the former Nigeria’s Head of State.
He also described Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi as a respected and responsible Islamic scholar that has been preaching peace and unity in the country.
Jonathan stressed the need for all Nigerians to rally round and defeat what he called the evil ones masquerading in the garb of religion.
The President called on the religious leaders in the country to continue to preach peace for the followers, away from the messages of hate on religious and ethnic grounds.
He described the Sallah homage by Muslims as a honour for him and his immediate family, even as his Principally Secretary, Alhaji Hassan Tukur disclosed that the President followed Muslims to fast for the 29 days it lasted.
Tukur said that President Jonathan also hosted different Islamic and religious leaders to the breaking of fast in the Villa at different times.
The Muslims in Abuja were led to pay Sallah homage on the President by Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo, along with the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Bala Mohammed. [myad]

Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi has expressed surprise at an attempt, by terrorist gang, on the life of the former Nigeria military Head of State, General Muhammadu Buhari even as he felicitated with Muslim faithful in the country on the occasion of the Eid-el-Fitri.
The Governor, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Olayinka Oyebode, condemned the attack, saying that had the terrorists succeeded in killing the General, it would have precipitated a chain of reactions an end of which nobody could predict.
He described General Buhari as a man of peace who had surrendered his life to fight for the peace and unity of the country during the civil war and has consistently advocated the oneness of Nigeria.
The governor could not lay his finger on why “such a revered statesman could have been marked for elimination in an unprovoked terror attack.”
The Governor noted that the recent spate of bomb attacks  and general insecurity in the country has made it imperative for Muslims and adherents of other religions to seek the face of God in prayer for divine intervention in the affairs of the country.
Governor Fayemi said the prayer of the faithful is needed now more than ever for God’s guidance for our leaders to have the right approach towards ending the nefarious activities of the insurgents.
He called for cooperation and vigilance on the part of the citizens in the war against insurgency.
“This is the time we all need to come together to tackle insecurity in the country even as we pray for God’s protection over the land.”
Fayemi insisted that the growing level of insecurity is greatly undermining development in the country even as he prayed for peaceful repose for the souls of those who died in terrorist attacks and wished those injured a speedy recovery.
Fayemi congratulated Muslims for the successful completion of the Ramadan fasting, adding that witnessing another Eid-el-Fitri is a special privilege from Allah who has control over the destiny of man.
He said that the 30-day spiritual exercise has drawn the faithful closer to Allah, urging them to keep on practicing the lessons learnt from the Holy month in their relationship with their Maker and fellow human beings.
Governor Fayemi commended Muslims in Ekiti State in particular for their support,  describing them as important partners in his administration’s success story, as well as the peace and stability being witnessed in the state.
He said that Muslims and adherents of other religions in the state have always lived together in peace and harmony, and advised them to continue in peaceful coexistence. [myad]