Nine of the victims of the Thursday suicide bombing that took place at the Police Force Headquarters in Abuja who were receiving treatment at the Asokoro General Hospital have been handed over to police authorities.
The handover of the injured victims coincided with the call by the former Inspector General of Police, Mr. Sunday Ehindero, on the federal government to address the high level of insecurity in the country, particularly the rising incidence of bomb blasts capable of turning the nation into another terrorist country.
One of the hospital officials, who did not want to disclose his identity, confirmed that given the minor injuries sustained by some of the victims, and owing to the demands by the police authorities, the hospital had to discharge the patients and hand them over to the police.
Though no official report has been given to this effect, enquiries by THISDAY revealed that the move might not be unconnected with the resolve by the police to move them to police clinic in order to prevent the public from gaining access to them.
At the National Hospital, one of the police officers affected by the bombing was still seen around at about noon Saturday in the hospital. The officer who sustained injuries around his right arm and leg is still believed to be undergoing treatment.
While detailed information on the number of dead has still not been released by the police, unconfirmed reports Saturday evening suggested that a senior police officer caught by the explosion might have died.
However, Ehindero Saturday advised President Goodluck Jonathan to address the high level of insecurity in the country, particularly bomb blasts as they are capable of turning the nation into another terrorist country.
Ehindero, who spoke with reporters at Oyin-Akoko in Akoko North West Area of Ondo State, at the Third Session of the Ninth Synod of Akoko Diocese, said once suicide bombings become a regular occurrence in the nation, it would be difficult for the police to bring the trend under control.
He said proactive measures must be adopted by Jonathan to ensure that the activities of suicide bombers are urgently addressed to make the country safe for its citizenry.
“This is an ugly trend that must be tackled swiftly and with all seriousness. That was how terrorism started in the Middle East; it is a trend that must not be allowed to repeat itself.
“Crime all over the world is dynamic and it must be addressed with the dynamic ways of curbing crime. Previously, the nation only experienced robberies, which later transited to kidnapping and now bomb blasts.
“Just like kidnapping became a difficult menace to handle, my fear is that if this is not properly checked, bombing may become another phenomenon that will be difficult to combat,” he said.
For the police and other security agencies to effectively combat crime, Ehindero said the federal government would have to increase the budget for security and ensure adequate training for security personnel to conform with modern trend.
Ehindero also faulted the call for state policing by some Nigerians, saying, “State policing cannot address the high level of insecurity in the country.”
“Decentralising the police would not bring solution to crime. Government should instead make the police more efficient and effective through proper funding,” he added.
In his sermon, the Bishop of Akoko Diocese in Ondo State, Rt. Rev. Gabriel Akinbiyi charged the president to ensure that the perpetrators of the police headquarters bomb blast are arrested and prosecuted.
He noted that insecurity is gradually assuming a dangerous dimension in the country, hence the need for the federal government to rise up to the challenges of combating crimes
Similarly, the Muslim Media Watch Group of Nigeria condemned last Thursday’s bomb blast in Abuja, describing it as “devilish in all ramifications.”
In a statement Saturday by its National Coordinator, Alhaji Ibrahim Abdullahi, the group described as unacceptable, the security lapses the incident and several other previous ones had shown in the nation’s security system and called on all security agencies to “rise up to the highly disturbing and embarrassing challenges.”
It also called on the Federal Government to declare Friday, June 24 a public holiday for special prayers by Nigerian Muslims against terrorists/terrorism in the country, followed by a session by Christians for the same purpose on Sunday, June 26.