Three days after the blast, military personnel mounted a checkpoint at about 100 metres to the scene of the incident, causing gridlock on the road leading to Keffi in Nasarawa State.
Nigerian Tribune learnt that following the development, civil servants living in Nyanya, Mararaba, Masaka, Karu, Karishi and One-man village axis now report for work by 2.00 p.m. as against the official 7.30 a.m. resumption for civil servants.
Investigations by the Nigerian Tribune revealed that out of frustration, some of the workers had been absenting themselves from work, since they were unable to get to work because of the gridlock on the road.
At the Federal Secretariat, the Nigerian Tribune saw most of the workers just coming to work around 2.00 p.m. on Tuesday due to the traffic situation on the road, while at the adjacent National Assembly, most of the workers had not even reported for work as of press time due to the gridlock.
However, motor bike operators were making brisk business on the road, as most people with important appointments in Abuja metropolis resorted to riding bikes, otherwise known as ‘okada’ in order to meet up.
However, commuters who could not endure the long hours in the traffic jam, decided to trek miles from Nyanya to A.Y.A in Asokoro, where they picked vehicles to their respective work places.
Huge number of commuters were left stranded at the various bus stops, with several others returning back to their homes after several hours of futile efforts to get to the capital city or their places of work.
There was a complete standstill from the popular Kugbo Mechanic Village, where the road block was mounted, as the military took over the streets in a stop and search operation.
Consequently, the bike operators now charge between N400 and N500 for journey that normally cost between N50 and N100 on a normal day.
Most of the motorists and commuters who spoke with the Nigerian Tribune expressed dismay over the sad development and pleaded with President Goodluck Jonathan and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Bala Mohammed, to wade into the matter, in order to give the people a new lease of life.
“You can imagine, I left my house at the One-man village around 6.00 a.m., going to the Federal Secretariat, the time now is 2.00 p.m. and I am a civil servant, what do you want me to tell my boss in the office?
“We cannot continue like this, even if there is any emergency now, there will be no way to move,” Mr John Jack, a civil servant in one of the ministries lamented.
Many of the commuters who spoke with the Nigerian Tribune condemned the use of brute force by the military and asked the Federal Government to immediately dismantle the roadblock.
A motorist, Onah Godwin, who spoke with the Nigerian Tribune, said government should deploy technology in checking the security challenges instead of subjecting citizens to untold hardship.
He pointed out that lives of thousands of those trapped in the traffic were being jeopardised, “because nobody knows what could happen the next moment.”
DHQ seeks public understanding
The Defence Headquarters has, however, assured the residents that the measures are not punitive or deliberately meant to inconvenience road users.
A statement issued by Director, Defence Information, Major-General Chris Olukolade, stated that the actions were necessitated by the emerging security threats facing the nation, which called for support and understanding of the populace.
The security measures, according to the statement, would be reviewed, as more equipment and additional support, were introduced to ease the gridlock.
Members of the public were, therefore, requested to bear with the temporary measure which, it said, was in the overall public interest.
Group flays FG over under-policing of citizens
Meanwhile, following the bomb attack as well as other incidences of violence in the country, a group, Inter-Faith Activity and Partnership for Peace (IFAPP), has bemoaned the current situation in which a hugely disproportionate percentage of the security forces were deployed to protect the few members of the political and business elite, while the security needs of the overwhelming majority of the citizens were left unattended to.
The group described the situation as patently callous, unjust, and ultimately a threat to the peace and safety of everyone, including the governing elite.
In a statement signed by the conveners, Mallam Nuruddeen Lemu and Reverend Father George Ehusani, the group urged Boko Haram, its supporters, financiers and sympathisers, to put an immediate stop to all attacks on defenceless and innocent Nigerians, as such actions could not produce any positive outcomes or lead to the resolution of any of their grievances.
In the statement, the group argued that the latest act of mass murder clearly showed that the Federal Government was not doing enough to protect public places, where large numbers of ordinary Nigerians routinely gather.
10 victims leave hospital •D’Banj visits, makes donations
Ten out of the 26 victims affected in the Nyanya bomb blast and taken to Asokoro General Hospital have been confirmed to have been fully treated and discharged, just as renowned musician and entertainer, Oladapo Oyebanjo, also known as D’Banj, on Tuesday, visited the victims of the bomb blast where he equally made donations and shared moments with them.
Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Health and Human Services Secretariate, Dr Demola Onakomaiya,who disclosed this, said “16 patients, out of the 26 persons brought to the hospital on the day of the attack were still receiving medical attention, 10 of the victims were fully treated and discharged while the FCT administration took sole responsibility for the bills, feeding and psychosocial support for the victims.”
D’Banj, who arrived the hospital at about 12: 10p.m on blue suit, said he was on the visit to show the victims that they were not alone at the trying time.
He challenged the youth to speak up and prepare their minds towards ensuring that terrorism did not continue in the country.
He also observed that the country had not witnessed the kind of violence it was currently experiencing, as citizens used to love and respect one another.
The music icon insisted that the country had to be returned to the state where citizens had value for human lives.
He said “Nigeria was not always like this. My view is that we just have to take our destiny into our hands.”
“I am imploring our youths: let us just open our eyes. I think this insurgency will end any moment from now by God’s grace.
“I have not been around; I have been doing some show for Easter but I thought of coming around this time. I wanted to come and see the victims but I haven’t had the time but before leaving Abuja, I thought I should come and show them that they are not alone. Moreover in Easter, we definitely have to celebrate the fact that we are alive; I am thankful to God for keeping their lives,” he said.
According to Onakomaiya, some of the victims were excited to see the musician coming to visit them, and described the war against terror in the country as everybody’s challenge.
Source: Tribune
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