Afenifere Calls Kano Bomb Blast A Declaration Of war

THE pan-Yoruba organisation, Afenifere, said the explosions and attack in Kano and Borno states, which claimed several lives within 48 hours, were tantamount to a full-scale war by the “blood-sucking Boko Haram sect.”

In a statement signed by its national publicity secretary, the organisation said the tragedies should be a rude awakening to the Federal Government that it should brace up to the security challenge.

Afenifere urged the government to deploy all legitimate means to crush the insurgents and restore law and order in the land.

“It must be clear to the government by now that what is required at this point is to strengthen the military and allied forces in hunting down these elements, by spreading the dragnets nationwide, given new maps being drawn by their activities.

“The government should not hesitate to take all constitutional measures necessary to maintain law and order in any new corridor that the sect may be opening, while intensifying the ongoing military action in states under emergency. Evil must be confronted and not appeased,” Afenifere said.

According to the body, “the brutal killing of innocent citizens in gun and bomb attacks by the dreaded group, just as the army paraded 42 suspected members of the sect in Lagos, with warning from the Directorate of State Security (DSS) that deadlier attacks are on the way, is a signal to the government that it cannot afford to take a pacifist approach, as sympathisers of the sect, who have infiltrated the administration, may be counseling.

“It appears to us in Afenifere that the government was being lured into some false sense of security, so that the sect could re-strategise for more devastating attacks. It would be recalled that all manners of leaders and statesmen were piling pressure on the government to enter into dialogue with the terrorists before the state of emergency was declared in Yobe, Borno and Adamawa states weeks ago.

“The military action that followed the bold move by the government led to a bomb holiday in the North-East, which has been the headquarters of insurgency. Thereafter, the coordinated assault opened an added axis of evil in the North-West to continue the low-intensity warfare, assault and killings.

“It was in the midst of all that the chairman of the Boko Haram panel, Alhaji Taminu Turaki, announced to the country that he had secured cease-fire with Boko Haram. He was later to be disowned by Boko Haram and the latest dangerous assaults being launched by the group clearly suggest that Alhaji Turaki missed the point.

“In the light of the above, Afenifere asks the Federal Government to disband the Turaki-led committee with immediate effect, as it has outlived its usefulness. It also ask for a probe of the chairman of the panel to ascertain where his hoax cease-fire came from.”