 |
| UN President, Ban Ki-moon |
- Nigeria, Kenya, Cote d’Ivoire lose nationals
- Govt offers to rebuild UN House
- ‘Abuja slums host bomb cells’
NIGERIA and some senior officials of the United Nations (UN) yesterday intensified efforts to save the lives of victims of last Friday’s terror attack on the UN House where 23 people have been confirmed dead and over 60 others wounded.
Health Minister, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu and the head of the UN team dispatched to Nigeria immediately after the incident, Asha-Rose Migiro, said the casualty figure is now 23.
Migro also said “there is security breach in Nigeria” and hinted that the UN would soon begin the probe of the incident. During her visit to the National Hospital, Abuja, medical teams were seen making frantic arrangements to evacuate four of the seriously wounded to South Africa.
The victims included a female and a male personnel of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). They were expected to leave in an air ambulance from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
She said Kenya, Cote d’Ivoire and Nigeria are among countries that lost their citizens in the blast.
Survivors of the blast also spoke on their escape. The World Health Organistion (WHO) Country Director, Dr. David Okello said he escaped death by going for the commissioning of two mobile clinics donated by a Korean firm, Hyundai to the Abuja Hospital in Gwagwalada. He said it was on his way to the event that he received a call informing him of the blast.
The Country Director of UNICEF, Dr. Suomi Sakai, said she was in the building when the explosion occurred but was lucky to have survived it. An official of UNICEF simply identified as Ahmed has been confirmed to be among the dead.
She told journalists yesterday in Abuja that she is on ground to “attend to the various issues that would arise. I am impressed with the treatment of the victims so far, but if there is need for them to get further treatment outside Nigeria, we will do that.
“We got a thorough briefing from the government and the medical team here of what is happening. We see that a lot of energy has gone into addressing this crisis. This tragedy is about people, about community and it has also affected a wide range of people that are working with the UN…we know they have families and dependants. This tragedy has affected their lives and it will never be the same. This attack is on all of us, as a people as a community,” she said.
Chukwu commended the response from the rescue teams for being proactive. “The response has been excellent. If this is what we mean by transformation, I think our response has really been transformed. All sides, all the different groups were there to rescue the victims.”
Migiro, who is UN Deputy Secretary-General, said the death toll had risen to 23 as against the initial 18 given by the police.
And when he received Migro yesterday at Aso Villa, President Goodluck Jonathan said Nigeria would help to rebuild the UN House destroyed by the bomb blast. Jonathan said the Federal Government would offer temporary accommodation to the world body to enable it “continue with the good humanitarian work you have been doing.”
The President expressed condolence to the UN family for the sad loss of lives in the incident and pledged to assist it in the immediate evacuation of the dead to their countries and the wounded for medical treatment.
He thanked Nigerians and foreign nationals, who participated in the rescue operations and other efforts to bring relief to those affected by the “condemnable act of destruction of life and property.”
Earlier, Migiro said she was in Nigeria to assess the situation, adding that this “condemnable act would not deter us from doing our work.” She requested for Nigeria’s assistance to quickly evacuate the dead and injured, and thanked Jonathan for offering to assist in the reconstruction of the UN House and provision of temporary accommodation to enable the UN continue its work in Nigeria.
Migro said other top-level UN officials would remain in Nigeria to carry out a thorough assessment and examination of the whole building and advice the Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon accordingly.
After the meeting, she later told journalists that “we have discussed the question of the terrorism bombing that happened at the UN facilities here. We have brought our appreciation to Mr. President and the people of Nigeria for the quick response that we got from the government, from the rescue team and also we shared our willingness to continue the work we have been doing, that our people have just paid the ultimate prize for and we also look forward to also seeing how we address some of the concerns that must have come up as a result of the attack.”
Asked how the bombing may affect UN operations in Nigeria, Migro replied: “We will never be deterred. We believe in global peace. We believe in global security. We believe in development. And here in Nigeria, the people are working hard to improve their lives and the UN is here for that. And you should also remember that this attack is a on communities. It is an attack on families. It is not all about the UN. So, we will never be deterred. We will move on and the members of staff are ready to do that and the government is also ready to help us to continue to do our business in Nigeria and in the world.”
On stepping up security at UN facilities, Migiro said the UN is currently doing a thorough assessment of what happened and how it happened and how we should strengthen whatever measures we have that are of security nature.” Present at the talks were the National Security Adviser (NSA), Gen. Andrew Owoye Azazi, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Olugbenga Ashiru and Minister of State for FCT, Mrs. Olajumoke Akinjide.
Meanwhile, security has been tightened at most public buildings in Abuja as palpable panic gripped other international and sub-regional agencies, which have buildings in the nation’s capital.
Some operatives told journalists yesterday that fresh security concerns in Abuja come from the growing number of slum settlements in the FCT, which have made it difficult to monitor movements and place basic tabs on who lives in the area.
After the last June bomb blast at the Nigeria Police headquarters, the authorities introduced stop and search operations in the nation’s capital.
A senior security official said yesterday on condition of anonymity that “the bombers are quite able to predict our methods and operations. They seem a step ahead of us. There must be bomb cells in Abuja or in surrounding communities but these are slums. We do not have the capacity to comb these areas. We are concentrating in hotels and public places. We have not penetrated their cells. A lot of unplanned and squalor settlements are now everywhere in Abuja,” he added.
Although no reason has been given, UN operations in Abuja are being moved from one hotel to the other. Its communications, administration and support officials, who are still without Internet services were seen in Sheraton Hotel on Saturday and at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel yesterday.
The UN Acting Resident Coordinator in Nigeria, Dr. Agathe Lawson, had earlier said that a committee had been set up to give daily briefings. “As you can see, we need to do first thing first. I cannot say anything now. I am only talking to people who have come here for condolences and relevant government officials,” the sullen United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) official added.
The UN has since fingered a security breach in the way the bombing was carried out. Already, its security chief, Gregory Starr, has inspected the building.
The suicide “e bomber” beat security at the structure by going through the exit gate usually opened for top UN officials, who drive in through the inlet gate. All other members of staff park their vehicles at the expansive twin parking lot in front of the UN House to the exclusion of visitors.
Migiro, a Tanzanian, at the destroyed UN building, hinted that there would be an investigation of what she called “security breach” in Nigeria. She said it was “a shocking incident, an attack on global peace and communities.
“I have looked at the ripped-up gate. It is amazing how this happened and we are grappling with that, now - an investigation is underway - We will see what we have to do better,” she added
A UN official on Migiro’s team, said at the hospital where some of the victims were being treated that the death toll had risen to 23 but independent sources put it at 26.
still in need of some information? search this site:
LOVE THE ARTICLE ABOVE?
Receive Updates: subscribe to Imo Herald in a reader or sign up for Free Email Updates
No comments:
Post a Comment