Former VP slams ‘senseless murders’

[iolsa]

Cape Town -  

Nigeria's former vice-president has accused the government of inefficiently managing the threat of terrorism, after militants killed 40 agricultural students in the country's north.

"We must urgently review our strategy for confronting these cowards. We need to rethink how we provide security for our nation," Atiku Abubakar said in a statement quoted on Monday by local newspaper Vanguard.

Abubakar said he was "deeply saddened" by the "senseless murders" of dozens of students, gunned down while sleeping in their  college dorm in Gujba in Yobe state at the weekend.

"Nigerians have lost faith in their government because of this lack of vision in the management of the nation's political, economic and social affairs," he added.

Yobe is one of three northern states that the government placed under emergency regulations in May to curb attacks by Boko Haram.

Boko Haram, which means "Western education is sinful," has been active in the Muslim north of the West African country, regularly carrying out attacks aimed primarily at Christians.

Since 2009, more than 1 500 people have been killed in the violence. - Sapa-dpa



Source: Former VP slams 'senseless murders'