Christmas Day Bomb Blast: No Mass Burial For Victims

The Catholic Bishop of Minna, Niger state, Most Rev Martin Igwe Uzoukwu on Thursday at a press conference at St Theresa’s Catholic Church, Madalla, Niger state where a Christmas day bomb blast claimed over 40 lives, stated that the victims of the blast will be given decent burial on a yet to be announced date.

He refuted statements which claimed that the victims would be given mass burial and stated that the date for the decent burial for the victims would be announced after due consultations with bereaved family members.

The Bishop called on well meaning Nigerians and all people of good will to strongly condemn the ugly and barbaric act which was targeted at innocent and peaceful citizens.

Expressing his emotion over the dastardly act, the Bishop affirmed that the church lost more than 40 persons, including women and children with many others wounded, and maybe maimed forever.

He decried the act of terrorism unleashed on the Christian community on a day when Christians across the world gathered to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ and challenged the perpetrators of the terrorist act to come and tell the world what the Christian community in Niger state had done to deserve such treatment.

Bishop Uzoukwu noted that the Christian community in the state had suffered series of attacks perpetrated by Boko Haram Islamic sect which he noted has claimed responsibility for the Christmas day blast.

He called on peace loving Muslims friends to come out like the Sultan of Sokoto had done, and publicly condemn the act.

He also enjoined the federal and the Niger state governments to stand up against the Boko Haram sect which had claimed responsibility for the blast.

Reiterating the stand of the Sultan of Sokoto to the effect that the incident was not a fight between Islam and Christianity but a fight between good and evil, Bishop Uzoukwu called on members of the parish to be vigilant and and be on the alert and to offer information to security agencies regarding any criminal in their areas.

He also called on both Christians and Muslims to pray for at least fifteen minutes daily for peace to reign in Nigeria.

http://pmnewsnigeria.com/2011/12/29/christmas-day-bomb-blast-no-mass-burial-for-victims/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PmNewsNigeria+%28PM+News+Nigeria%29

so we are going to have a Tomb of the Unknown Victim.
anybody who has an unaccounted loved one can go there and mourn.

9ice move!

May their gentle souls rest in peace with the Lord Almighty.

a decent move. these were good, innocent people.

I agree with the move

They are still playing politics with human lives in this country.The Sultan has come openly to say that that there's no war between Islam and Christianity in Nigeria.Who is he deceiving? When they are the same people fueling, instigating and shielding Boko Haram members in the country and he is now trying to feign innocence.The days of these evil men in Nigeria are numbered.they would feign innocence and thereafter go to their closet to jubilate.God is watching.

Sooo sad, innocent unsuspecting victims, but lets take d sultans word for it, he says he condemns deir action lets not fuel more hatred. Muslims re not evil but most of d northerners re just ignorant nd illiterates hence deir behaviour. There is a grave consequence for anyone who kills a soul in Islam. Muslims believe in Jesus as a Prophet. If d sultan is lying, d souls of d innocents will haunt him, i believe in one thing HEAVEN IS REAL.

This sounds better. I was appalled when I read somewhere that they would b given just a mass burial knowing what mass burials and graves sounds like in Africa. it aint dignifying to put it just like that.

Sane decision from competent people.

our god is watching, he will never slumber nor sleep.

May their souls rest in peace.
Amen

Jesus Christ symbolises love and so is Christianity. Why this kind of hatred and senseless killing. Can't Allah/God fight for himself. Why fighting for Allah/God who's supposed to protect u in the first place. Which kind of God is that, that cannot fight for himself? Haba! Human beings fighting for Spirits, nawaoo! Boko Haram will never go unpunished. The perpetrators of this devlish act will all die a sudden death with their bodies never to be found. May the soul of the victims rest in peace. May God grant their families fortitude to bear the loss. My heart bleeds and am pained to see Nigeria go under. The labour of our past heroes is almost in vain. We all failed!

I think they should all be buried in the church compound with their names marked on their epitaphs as a memorial that they died together during worship and the entire congregation will always be near them in remembrance.

The sultan is right, it is a fight between good and evil. But surely, evil resides within an entity. All we should do is to make sure we do nothing to condone, shield or tacitly encourage such entities.

may Allah protect us from all this evil act. it is too terrible bad to continue supporting this people

MaY their souls resT in peace.

Decent burial or no decent burial,what are we burying?
An empty dead body that is going to dust!
The more important is the spirit and the soul which have returned to the Creator to give account and face judgement.
Why we are still alive now, rather than focus our energies on the dead for whom nothing can work for anymore, we should check our lives to see whether we are standing in God's will and quickly make amends. Death can come at anytime and in whatever guise but after death is instant judgement (Hebrews 9:27).The Madalla Bomb Victims did not know that that was their last day.
That a soul will rest in perfect peace is dependent upon, and determined by how that person lived his life on Earth in the light of God's word.
Make hay now while the sun is still shining. Repent and make straight your ways before the Lord.