Anger as Boko Haram dominates proceedings at confab

Emeka Nze
Anger, anguish, and blames and counter blames among the zones and faithful of the two dominant religions characterized yesterday’s session at the ongoing national conference as delegates debated on the Nyanya bomb blast which claimed over 200 lives with numerous others wounded and the abduction of 100 girls in Borno state.
Most of the delegates who spoke called for the closure of Nigerian borders with Cameroun, Chad and Niger Republic while others were of the opinion that the security agencies as well as the armed forces have not done much in terms of intelligence and communication gathering to stem the tide of insecurity in the country.

Speakers who were already clad in black clothes as symbol of mourning of the victims of the bomb blast condemned the Nyanya incident as well as the abduction of 100 girls in Bornu yesterday, wondering where security agencies were as the criminals moved in convoy in the streets of Chibok , Bornu state where the girls were taken.
According to some of the delegates the abducted girls would have been subjected to horrible experiences such as rape in the hands of the abductors and called on the conference to suggest urgent ways to curb violence in the country.
Some of the speakers either noted the country was under siege or at war pointing out that it would not be resolved by mutual suspicion among the regions or religions.

While urging government to take urgent steps, many of them suggested that a delegation should made to the presidency to brief the conference on the way forward in stamping out violence in the country.
Some of the delegates also cautioned that it was too hasty to conclude that it was Boko Haram that was perpetrating the violence against Nigerians and suspected that external forces have joined hands with internal collaborators fight Nigerians.
President of Market women Mrs Felicia Sani described the Nyanya bomb blast as terrible and also drew attention to the prediction of  American that Nigeria will disintegrate. She accused the western powers of trying to bring their prediction to fulfilment.
Mrs Sani stated that the western powers were bent on destroying the country to steal Nigeria’s crude oil warning the delegates to eschew religious or ethnic sentiment in their deliberations and see the war against Nigerians as a common cause in order to fight back.

Both Gambo Jemeta and Tanko Ayuba from the North West lamented the paucity of information which they said makes it difficult to fight the war urging delegates not to grope in the dark.
Col Tanko Ayuba from the North West decried the harm done to innocent Nigerians blaming it on system failure on the part of government, armed forces intelligent agencies.

He said the lack of information as well as intelligence sharing militates against fighting the war. “There is the need for total overhaul of the entire security system, call the military to question and find out what their problems are”.
He called for the closure of the Cameroun, Chad, Niger borders with strict monitoring of the borders warning that now is the time for action and not talks.

Colonel Bala Mande from Zanfara state reiterated that Nigeria is in a war situation, wondering where the checkpoints and roadblocks go to when the insurgents move in their convoy.
Iyom Josephine Anenih said the delegates were concerned about the insurgency because it happened in Nyanya near Asokoro where some of them live and owne houses.