CSO said Kaduna blast was intended to cause civil unrest

The Civil Rights Congress of Nigeria on Friday condemned the Wednesday’s bomb blasts in Kaduna, saying it was intended to trigger civil unrest in the country.

In a statement in Kaduna, the group described the blasts as “assassination attempts” on Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi and Gen. Muhammadu Buhari.

In the statement signed by its President, Mr Shehu Sani, the group said that the incidents had “once again demonstrated the annihilating danger faced by the Nigerian state.”

Shehu said,”The attacks, if successful, could have triggered a serious civil unrest, which the architect intended to achieve.

“The ongoing insurgency and the overall security situation in the country should be a matter of concern to all.

“With the attack on these two prominent Nigerians, it is clear now that we are in a situation where everyone is vulnerable.

“The series of campaigns and violence are the most imminent and concrete threat to Nigeria’s unity, freedom and democracy.”

It urged Nigerians to unite in confronting the menace, saying that there was need for national solidarity in tackling the problem.

According to it, violence will continue as long as there is no exigent national cohesion to combat it.

The group stated that political bickering and blame game between the Federal Government and the opposition, and warmongering between the North and the South were sustaining the violence.

It said, “It is utterly wrong for the ruling party to ascribe the ongoing insurgency to the opposition without any iota of proof.

“And, it is also utterly false for anyone to concoct conspiracy theory that links President Jonathan or the Federal Government to attacks that clearly and evidently had the hallmark of the insurgents.

“We have a crisis at hand and a historic challenge to address it. These are special moments in the history of our nation, which appeal to our conscience and concern and needs our convergence.

“In the crisis we find ourselves, what will matter most to posterity is not the individual opinion we hold about it but the collective position we took about it.”

It added that, “when a nation’s faith is tested by crisis, that nation must be strong if it has to survive.
“Each bomb explosion should generate a wave of patriotism to extinguish its motive.