We Dealt With Civil War For 30 Months, We Can Deal With Boko Haram, Says Buhari

Former Head of State and frontline opposition figure, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd) yesterday relived his close shave with death when a suicide bomber rammed into his convoy in Kaduna metropolis, Kaduna State.

Despite the attack, which claimed scores of lives, the All Progressives Congress (APC) leader said Nigeria is capable of dealing with terrorism because “we dealt with the civil war, for 30 months; we fought and we kept Nigeria one and, God willing, we are going to keep Nigeria one”.

To the former Head of State, Boko Haram’s activities have nothing to do with religion or ethnicity but an act of terrorism.

He spoke when he received Governor Mukhtar Ramalan Yero of Kaduna State and members of his Security Council at his Kaduna residence.

The elder statesman said: “When this question of Boko Haram started, I’m sure it was on record that the first statement I made about 18 months ago; I said no religion advocates what is happening. So, basically, it is no case of religion; it is neither ethnic, when they kill children in schools in the Northeast, they kill teachers, they burn churches, they burn mosques, they burn motor parks, they burn markets. Where is religion there? Where is ethnicity there? This is terrorism and I hope the government will come to grip with it.

“Nigeria is capable of dealing with this; we dealt with the civil war, for 30 months, we fought and we kept Nigeria one and, God willing, we are going to keep Nigeria one.

“I commiserate with the families of those that died, because this thing was ignited at exactly when my car was almost side-by-side with this thing. I came out, there was blood on my dress. I did not know how it came about because I did not have a scratch myself, but dead bodies all over the place. The security tried to move me to the other side and we just got one of the vehicles passing and they brought me home.

“I hope the law enforcement agencies and the chief executives of the states will succeed in securing the country. May God help us”.

Yero prayed for divine intervention to end the insurgency even as he assured that efforts to provide security of lives and property in the state would be redoubled.