In a statement by its chairman, Jasper Azuatalam, the Buhari Vanguard observed that both incidents were targeted at popular Nigerian leaders, Gen Muhammadu Buhari, a leader of the APC, and Dahiru Bauchi, a popular Islamic cleric.
Condemnations are trailing Wednesday’s twin bomb blasts in Kaduna, Northern Nigeria, with the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Buhari Vanguard expressing shock at the nature of the latest incidents.
In a statement by its chairman, Jasper Azuatalam, the Buhari Vanguard observed that both incidents were targeted at popular Nigerian leaders, Gen Muhammadu Buhari, a leader of the APC, and Dahiru Bauchi, a popular Islamic cleric.
Expresssing condolences to the families of the bereaved, Buhari Vanguard wondered what might have happened in response in the country if the two men had been killed, speculating that the country would have been in turmoil and the extent of further damage unimaginable.
APC also expressed its condolences for those who lost their lives in the attacks, National Chairman E.K. Odigie-Oyegun
praying for the repose of the souls of the dead and the speedy recovery of the injured.
“We are grateful to God that General Buhari’s life was spared,” the statement said, noting that three of his aides were injured in the incident but were discharged after treatment.
Acknowleding those injuries, Buhari Vanguard said that General Buhari had been on his way to his home town of Daura in a convoy when the second bomb was detonated as his convoy approached the bombing site.
It added that Buhari, after suffering serious psychological trauma, escaped unhurt and was rushed back home with a taxi cab from a good Samaritan as all the cars in his convoy were affected by the Bomb blast.
“We are frightened that these attacks by suspected Boko Haram members have assumed a dangerous dimension and we fear that if this is not controlled immediately, our nation Nigeria may never recover from the negative results of this insurgence,” the group said, warning that if prominent Nigerians are no longer safe and cannot go about their normal duties, it will be horrible to imagine what the fate of the average Nigerian will be.
Appealing to Buhari’s supporters nationwide to remain calm in the face of what seems obvious provocation, APC strongly urged President Goodluck Jonathan to speedily set up a high powered probe to unravel those behind the suspicious bomb blasts. It stressed that Wednesday’s incidents must not be treated as one of the usual Boko Haram atrocities as there seems to be more to it than meets the eye.
“We want to reiterate once again, that because of the innocent lives being lost on daily basis, we committed our great Party to full cooperation with the Jonathan administration in seeking solutions to the insurgency,” APC said. “But Jonathan is more intent on politicizing the issue to the extent of hiring propagandists from as far away as Russia and United States.”
It again called on President Jonathan to take the protection of Nigerian lives more seriously and to prudently utilize the huge amounts budgeted for security to upgrade the nation’s security infrastructure, and to fully cooperate with the international community in order to crush the Boko Haram insurgency.
Also advising Mr. Jonathan, Buhari Vanguard warned, “We must put-off this fire before it consumes all of us.”