Emir of Kano weeps over Boko Haram attacks

The Emir of Kano, Ado Bayero,  wept on Sunday while playing host to President Goodluck Jonathan who had visited to condole with him over Friday coordinated bomb attack on the city.

The Emir, apparently saddened by the loss of lives in his traditional domain, broke down in tears as he explained the incident to the president and his entourage.

The Emire told President Jonathan that there is a dearth of security officer in the city to match its huge population. He urged the President to increase the number of security agents in the state considering its land size, population and economic significance. Kano trails Lagos as Nigeria’s second largest commercial city.

“On our part,” the Emir said, “our efforts in organizing prayers all over the state will continue. In fact we are intensifying right now and praying that the Almighty Allah in his mercies will eliminate any other future occurrence of the ugly incident.”

The President later visited the affected areas of the bomb blast including the Zone 1 police headquarters.

President Jonathan admitted that the Friday coordinated deadly attack on government facilities in Kano, which left over 150 dead and scores injured, is the worst in the history of Nigeria and Boko Haram attacks.

The President admitted Boko Haram has been “with us” for quite some time, but the magnitude of the attack on Kano was the worst in Nigeria’s Boko Haram history.

The president had in an earlier statement by his spokesman, Reuben Abati, underestimated the level of carnage in the attack, placing the death toll at seven.

He blamed the attack on “some elements in the society who want to create chaos to distract us and God willing they will never succeed.”

On his visit to Kano, the President said Boko Haram terrorists are not “spirits neither are they ghost” urging a collective fight against the terrorists. “They cannot win Nigerians,” he said.

He urged Kano residents to help give relevant information to the security agencies.  He added that the Federal Government would strengthen the security in Kano and other parts of Nigeria.

He promised to ensure the victims did not lose their lives in vain. The President also assured that the Federal Government would work with the Kano State government to figure out the level of assistance victims could get from government.

“We call on the Almighty Allah to encourage them and provide for them,” the president said.