Give us a reason to be calm

By Halima Olajumoke Sogbesan

My fears for the country have been heightened once again, and I think every Nigerian falls into my category. Just few weeks ago, we mourned from shocking deaths; the gruesome killing of about 40 students of the Federal Polytechnic, Mubi, in the most callous of ways, and the lynching of 4 students of the University of Port Harcourt in Aluu for irrational reasons.

Though the Mubi attack was attributed to the dreaded Boko Haram sect, some factions claim that the perpetrators of the attack were students who were upset about the school’s recently concluded student union elections. Boko Haram was out of the question for the Aluu lynching because it was obvious that an irresponsible crowd was to blame. So, after some weeks of inactivity of the dreaded Boko Haram, I thought that the prayers of numerous Nigerians had been answered. I thought the period of bomb attacks in Nigeria was over. However, I was in for a shocker as Sunday, October 28, presented another mournful day for the country; a suicide bombing attack on the Saint Rita’s Catholic Church at Ungwar Yero in Malali, Kaduna North LGA.

A spokesperson for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mr. Yushau Shuaib, has placed the death toll at 8 people and the number of injured, 145. Most of those affected are women and children. Though the sect has not claimed responsibility for the attack, from descriptions, it is safe to say that the attack was Boko Haram styled.

Eye witnesses say that the suicide bomber drove a tinted Toyota car. After being denied entry into the church premises by the security personnel, pretending to be reversing out of the church, he rammed his car into the church building and then an explosion followed. Some reports claim that he crashed into the children’s section of the church, injuring and killing innocent children that had done no one any harm. I mourn with the parents who lost their children, and I sympathize with those parents who are nursing the wounds of their kids. How will they explain to these little angels that they were attacked because of views I refuse to understand? I fear for this and so many other reasons.

I fear that no group has claimed responsibility for the attack. The whole of Nigeria has ascribed responsibility of the attack to the notorious Boko Haram. However, the group has not claimed responsibility, proving otherwise. How are we sure that an upcoming terrorist group is not hiding under the guise of Boko Haram? Should we still be scared of subsequent attacks?

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported that, “Unconfirmed reports said at least two people were killed in reprisal attacks by Christians after the bombing.” That could have been an innocent me, my sister, my friend or any other person that had nothing to do with the blast. It is scary that Muslims and Northerners may have to pay the price of a group’s wrongdoings, and so, I fear that the killings are making it more difficult for people of different religions to tolerate opposing views. To know how bad the situation is, all one has to do is read comments below news articles on news websites, and the hatred is apparent. Many of these comments call for reprisals, and it is scary that these are not opinions of just one or two, but many.

At this point, I say with no remorse that the government is not helping us deal with these issues well. So far, key players in Nigerian politics have told us to be calm; they (the authorities) are on top of things. How do you tell families that have lost loved ones to be calm? Be calm and that’s it? I think it is high time our government recognized that it is its responsibility to protect the lives and properties of its citizens. I hate that since 2009 when the terrorist activities started I have harboured choking fears about the security situation in the country. As my little siblings leave for school, I would utter a prayer to God begging Him to bring them back safely. As my father dresses up to work, the same fears are expressed, and it is no different when my mother goes to shop at the market. I know I am not alone in my fears. So let President Jonathan stop telling us how “barbaric” and “cruel” the attacks are. We know that. We get it! Let Jonathan not tell us that the culprits of the attack are against the unity of Nigeria. We obviously know that. We get it! What he should do is let us know how he intends to deal with the security challenges of the country. Till then, government officials should stop preaching calmness to us. It is unrealistic to be calm during times like these. Let them give us a reason to be calm. Until they do, we will all be fearful of what Nigeria has become.