The senate president, David Mark, has blamed the incessant bombing in Nigeria on the ineptitude of the nation’s security agencies.
The senate president made the observation on Tuesday after the senate heard and adopted a motion by Ayogu Eze (PDP Enugu State) condemning the bomb blasts that have become associated with the May 29 swearing-in of President Goodluck Jonathan for a full term of office.
“I think the security agencies generally must share a lot of the blame in not getting this people ahead of time or after doing it, they are still not able to identify them,” the senate president said.
“They are an embarrassment to the country and the international community,” said Patrick Osakwe (PDP Delta State) who advocated that the police should go scientific in crime detection and prevention.
“You can’t stop these things by carrying AK-47 about and embarrassing the people,” he added.
Five explosions occurred in four major cities in the country on May 29 when the president and most governors were sworn into office, killing about 15 people and injuring many others.
The explosions were the latest in a series of periodic bombings that have been ripping through the northern part of Nigeria since last year.
The October 1 bombing of 2010, on the occasion of the nation’s golden jubilee, stands as the iconic beginning of bombings in Nigeria. The senate then had issued resolutions condemning the act and “urging” the government to tackle the rising insecurity in the country. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, claimed responsibility for the blasts which killed at least 12 people.
A few suspects were arrested, paraded before the media and charged shortly after the blast but the bombings continued in the northern parts of the country. A group famed for its stance against the West, Boko Haram, has always been fingered but no one has ever been convicted.
“Till date, nobody has been arrested for the bombings in Niger State,” Dahiru Kuta (PDP Niger state) whose district has suffered three deadly blasts, lamented.
Secret trials
There has been security information claiming that some suspects have been given secret trials, something the senate president condemned.
“I do not believe that when they are caught they should be tried secretly,” he said. “I think everybody should know who and who are involved because if it is a secret trial, then at the end of the day, nobody can say what has happened. I believe that the security agencies need to buckle up a bit.
“I think that the motives behind these bombings are heinous; it’s one that we make sure we do not allow people carry it further than they have done now. And I think the earlier we fish out those who are involved and those that have been convicted so far, the better. More importantly, we must make sure that from now onward, that there is no more bomb blast in this country,” the senate president added.