ATTACK ON BUHARI COULD HAVE TRIGGERED VIOLENCE – EXPERT

A security consultant, Dr. Ona Ekhomu, has described Boko Haram’s attempt on the life of former Head of State, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd.), and Muslim cleric, Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi, in Kaduna as an attempt to plunge Nigeria into widespread political-ethno-religious violence.
Reacting to the attacks, which left over 80 others dead, Dr. Ekhomu said the choice of the targets by Boko Haram was calculated.
He said: “Had any of the two assassination attempts succeeded, the concomitant violent reaction by citizens would have been widespread and deadly.”
He said the development might have triggered violent conflict between All Progressives Congress, APC, and Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, supporters; Christians and Muslims on one hand and youths and security agents on the other, because of the perceived inability of the security agencies to prevent incessant killings in Nigeria.
According to him, the goal of Boko Haram is to destabilise Nigeria.
Ekhomu, who is also the President of Association of Industrial Security and Safety Operators of Nigeria, AISSON, said the Kaduna bombings were a harbinger of more assassination plots against top politicians and religious leaders by the terrorist group.
He said: “As a consequence, top level serving and former political executives, civil servants, military and police officers should take their personal security seriously to deny Boko Haram terrorists the opportunity to harm them.”
Source: Vanguard