21st March, 2013
The Igbo in Kano say they have lost confidence in the way Kano State government is handling last Monday’s bombing of luxury buses at New Road Luxury Park, in which more than 80 people lost their lives.
They called on President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to immediately set up a high-powered presidential committee to look into the attack.
President of Ohamaeze Ndigbo, the Igbo apex socio-cultural group in Kano, Chief Tobias Michael Idika, told P.M.NEWS Thursday that 20 of those injured in the explosion have died, bringing the death toll to over 80.
“As I am speaking to you now, we have records of about 20 of the injured victims who have just died. This is to tell you that the death toll is rising on a daily basis. For the ones we know, over 80 of our people have died in this attack, and many are in critical condition.
“I still want to use this opportunity to call on the Kano State government and security agencies to stop the idea of mass burial. In Igbo land, we have a sacred culture. Our people are not buried in foreign lands. They should allow us to identify the dead bodies of our people so that we can take them home for proper burial rites.
“They may be victims of a people who never liked them; but to us, they are our heroes. Ohanaeze will not tolerate the burial of any Igbo son or daughter that died in this circumstance in such a humiliating manner called mass burial. We have a culture of honouring the dead, so the Kano State government should give us such opportunity to properly identify our brothers and sisters who were killed and convey them home,” Idika stated.
Meahwhile, economic activities remained at the lowest ebb, particularly within the Sabon Gari axis Thursday following Monday’s bomb blast.
P.M.NEWS reports that the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Dahiru Abubakar, is being expected in Kano as at the time of filing this report.
The police boss’ visit is to assess security situation in the state and take data of the extent of human and property damaged during last Monday’s bombings of the motor park in Sabon Gari, a community hugely inhabited by non-Muslims and non-natives.
—Maduabuchi Nmeribeh/Kano