By Adeola Aderounmu
Some broken hearts will never mend.
On Christmas day of 2011 Islamic militants attacked a sanctuary in Abuja. There were reports that at least 4 other churches were attacked.
When the bombs exploded at St. Theresa Catholic Church at least 40 people died immediately while several others were injured. A safe haven became a crime scene.
Among the dead were Mr. Innocent, his 3 sons and 2 daughters.
Innocent was from Umukabia in Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State. His wife did not die in the blast. She left the church earlier.
According to Okechukwu Okafor, a cousin of Innocent who spoke to me from his base in Germany, Innocent’s wife left the church earlier so she could prepare the food that the entire family will eat later that day.
They never did.
There would be no more family meals for Innocent and his household.
In his village, lips remained sealed as no one has told his mother about the tragic deaths in the family.
Who is going to let the cat out of the bag?
This man will be buried in his village. What are they going to tell his mum? What does she know about Boko Haram?
Who will be there to console Innocent’s mum? She has lost her dependable son.
Who is going to console Innocent’s wife? Her husband and five children are dead.
This is the greatest tragedy that can befall a woman, to lose her husband and her children in one swoop.
She will never understand why her loved ones were taken away from her forever. They paid the ultimate price. It’s a sad situation.
Before the dusts finally settle it will be a great service to country and humanity if the government of the day shows some compassion by visiting the families of the victims killed and the survivors of the senseless bomb blasts.
Maybe the Imo State Governor or the Local Government Chairman in Mbano should step forward to console the bereaved?
Families of victims and survivors have homes and they should be offered the best of psychological and moral supports by the church and the government.
It is hypocritical for Mr. Jonathan to shed tears at the crime scene 7 days after. What was he doing 5 minutes after the blast took place?
It is worrying that no one has been arrested or prosecuted for all the acts of murders that have been perpetrated in the name of terrorism in Nigeria.
It is sad that simple techniques like Google maps and 3G technologies are not available to the Nigerian Security Operatives. That is probably one of the several reasons why terrorists in Nigeria can make phone calls to journalists and the police and still keep hold of their residential areas.
It’s an additional scandal on this lukewarm presidency.
It appears that Mr. Jonathan’s biggest task before the fuel subsidy scandal was how to keep Nigeria one. He lost the plot and presents a classical example of a scalar quantity.
Each day that passes under Mr. Jonathan gives strength to the argument to restructure Nigeria as a true federation. The recent threat from Boko Haram that all southerners should quit the northern region calls for an outright division of the country.
These two options cannot be ignored forever. Nigeria is now too fragile to sustain the present form of governance.
Further negligence of the wave of terrorism and general government lawlessness sustained by systemic corruption and impunity will result to anarchy and the consequences can be Nigeria’s second civil war.
Inscriptions were made on the blood stained walls of St. Theresa Church. One of them was REVOLUTION NOW and the other was NO MORE PEACE IN THE COUNTRY.
These inscriptions are perfect descriptions of the current situation in Nigeria. Who knows where we go from where?
Some tears will never dry.
May the souls of Innocent, his children and all those who paid the supreme price for Nigeria find peace.
May their families find the strength to move on.
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