CATHOLIC
Pontiff, Pope Francis has condemned the deadly attacks that occurred at the
Emir of Kano’s Central mosque in Kano, which claimed about 200 lives,
describing it as an “extremely serious sin against God.”Pope Francis made the
comments yesterday, the final day of his trip to Turkey.Apart from those
killed, about 135 people were wounded when two suicide bombers blew themselves
up and gunmen opened fire during weekly prayers on Friday at the Grand Mosque
in Kano.Pope Francis on Sunday joined forces with Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch
Batholomew I to make a rare joint pledge of support for the embattled
Christians of the Middle East. On the final day of his first visit to Turkey,
Francis also urged an end to the millennium-old schism between the Orthodox and
Catholic churches and said this was all the more urgent due to the violence
against Christians by Islamic State (IS) extremists. In a meeting with Turkish
political and religious officials, at the start of his second trip to the
Middle East this year, the Pope further urged Muslim leaders to condemn the
“barbaric violence” being committed in Islam’s name against religious
minorities in Iraq and Syria.The Pope’s comment is coming two days after the
attack in Kano, which was also condemned by President Goodluck Jonathan, who
has ordered full-scale investigation into the attack, emphasising his
administration’s commitment to ending the incessant attacks which the Red Cross
says had displaced more than 400,000 persons.Although no group has claimed
responsibility for the attack, the Boko Haram sect is the prime suspect, as the
group had carried out similar attacks in the past.In like manner, National
Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who
condemned the attacks urged Christians and Muslims to join forces to defeat the
terrorists.Health workers suspend indefinite strikeTo reduce the number of
deaths arising from the attacks, the leadership of the Joint Health Workers
Union has directed its members to return to duty, urgently.The Secretary of the
health workers’ union, Comrade Kabiru Ado Minjibir told journalists that its
indefinite strike “is hereby suspended following the Friday attack on Kano
central mosque where hundreds of worshippers were now rushed to the
hospital.”Members of the union at Aminu Kano teaching hospital and National
Orthopaedic Hospital, Dala had joined their counterpart across the country on
indefinite strike over age-long demands from the Federal Government.Meantime,
thousands of residents, yesterday, trooped to hospitals to donate blood in
response to the clarion call to assist victims of the blasts.Blood donors troop
to hospitals in KanoAt Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, voluntary donors patiently
waited to donate blood.Chief Medical director of Aminu Kano Teaching hospital,
Prof. Zakari Muhammed, confirmed that the hospital recorded large turn out of
voluntary donors who were eager to assist the victims.“The large turn out of
people here this morning is quite impressive and we are very happy to have them
and on our part we have deployed our staff to ensure the exercise went
smoothly,” Professor Zakari said
