Boko Haram: Outrage over Xmas massacre

Helping the injured at Madalla, Suleja on Christmas Day.

OUTRAGE yesterday greeted the  multiple Christmas Day bomb blasts in four states of the country, especially at St. Theresa Catholic Church, Madalla, Niger State, which claimed about 26 lives, maimed numerous others and destroyed over 10 vehicles and buildings.
The Catholic Church however dismissed the casualty figure given by NEMA saying the death toll did not represent what really happened. The church’s spokesman, Monsignor Gabriel Osu, in a reaction yesterday said the number of the dead given as 26 by NEMA is wrong because hundreds of people would normally be trooping out of the church at the time of the bomb blast.
As survivors recounted their experience and families of victims battled with little or no luck to identify corpses of relations, most of whom were burnt beyond recognition, Senate President David Mark described the umpteenth attack launched by the Boko Haram Islamic sect as war against Nigerians.
The attack, a repeat of  similar explosions carried out by the group on December 24 and 31, 2010 also drew condemnations from many eminent Nigerians, groups and political parties.
Among those, who decried the mayhem were Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), Professor Pat Utomi, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, Mr. Femi Falana, Chief Maxi Okwu, Dr Federick Faseun, Sen. Bukola Saraki and Alhaji Shettima Yerima.
The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), African Renaissance Party (ARP), Campaign for Democracy (CD), Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), Muslim Public Affairs Centre (MPAC) and The Muslim Congress (TMC) also condemned the blast and proffered suggestions on how to check the Boko Haram menace.
Meanwhile, Vanguard learnt yesterday that most of the dead may be given a mass burial because they were charred beyond recognition just as the Parish Priest of St. Theresa Catholic church, Rev. Father Isaac Achi, gave a vivid account of what transpired in a chat with reporters.

At National Hospital, Abuja survivors share experience
At the National Hospital Abuja where at least 24 were brought in dead, a hospital source said most of the dead victims were brought in mutilated beyond recognition. And given the likelihood of difficulty in recognizing the victims, a mass burial may be considered as the closest thing to a decent burial for the victims.
Said the source: “Close to 24 bodies were brought in dead on Christmas day. In fact the body count was possible because of the body parts, most of the victims were burnt beyond recognition, while some had their bodies separated by the impact of the bomb blast. As I speak, relations who sought to identify the corpses are not finding it easy due to the burns and separation of body parts. To avert unnecessary confusion, it might be helpful to give the victims mass burial and that is likely to be the case in the long run.”
At the emergency unit of the hospital, victims were seen receiving treatments, while  hospital officials declined to speak further on the conditions of victims, citing lack of authority  to do so.

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