Jonathan at bomb site, says ‘everyone is target of terrorism’

Posted by admin Latest Politics Saturday, June 18th, 2011

It was a pensive looking President Goodluck Jonathan, who visited the site of the bomb explosion that rocked the police headquarters, Abuja, 24 hours after urging Nigerians not to panic, as the situation will soon be a thing of the past.

Jonathan, who was accompanied by retinue of aides, was however, overheard querying the number of people present at the crime scene, which then prompted his ADC, Lt.-Col. Ojogbane Adegbe, to order the security men on ground to ask people, mostly journalists to vacate the area.

Saturday Sun also noticed that the bomb scene, which should, ordinarily, be condoned off was filled with people, who walk over the yellow tapes placed by security agents.

Jonathan, who arrived Louis Edet House at 12.07 p.m., was received and conducted round the car park by the Inspector General of Police, Hafiz Ringim and Deputy Inspector General of Police, Ivy Okoronkwo. The IGP was seen briefing the president for about 10 minutes.

Before departing the Force Headquarters at 12.20 p.m., President Jonathan told newsmen: “First and foremost, let me commiserate with those people who lost their lives. Some vehicles were burnt and some people must have been victims of the explosion. Let me use this opportunity to assure Nigerians that it happens all over the world; no country is free.
“Nigeria is also having some ugly incidents lately, but surely we will get over it and people should not panic at all; soon most of these things will be a thing of the past.z

Reacting to a question on whether he was concerned that the IGP should be the target of terrorist attack, President Jonathan replied: “No, it is not just the IG, everybody is a target of terrorist attacks.
“I don’t want to make reference to what happened in the United States that they were to crash a plane into the White House. So, terrorists will aim at the top; if they can bomb the President, they will do it.”

Meanwhile, soon after Jonathan left the scene, a woman came to ascertain the fate of her husband, who told her he was going to the Force Headquarters on Thursday but has not been seen since then.
She wept profusely when assisted by some police officers to identify the burnt-out car of her husband, a recently retired naval officer, whose identity could not be ascertained at press time.

The position of the car, a Mercedes Benz V-Boot with Lagos registration number – FE 748 AAA – indicated the occupant was obviously still trying to park properly within the parking lot at the time of the blast.
The distraught woman identified some Christian pamphlets and leaflets, which she said were regularly in her husband’s car.

-Sunwp_posts