Abuja (WorldStage Newsonline)-- The Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Bala Mohammed has discribed the bomb blast that killed score of people and injured several during the New Year eve at the Mogadishu Barrack, Abuja was politically motivated.
He described those behind it as cowards who hid under the cloak of MEND and Boko Haram to attack and kill innocent citizens.
He told journalist on Sunday after his second visit to the victims at the Asokoro General Hospital and inspection of the scene of the blast, that the architects of the bombing were using human lives and blood to play politics.
He disclosed that[b] neither MEND nor Boko Haram members were behind the act[/b] as claimed by some people, stressing that a place like the Mogadishu Barrack’s Mammy market where the ordinary folks usually gather to relax could not be a target for either of the two groups based on their well known patterns of attack.
“This is a case of using innocent blood and human lives to do politics,” the minister said.
Mohammed noted that the calculation of the brains behind the dastardly acts was to create fear and panic in the land in order to make the 2011 general elections impossible and pave way for military intervention.
He stated that he was expressing his personal opinion as a Nigerian citizen and a politician, adding that his remarks were without prejudice to on-going investigations.
He said that even if members of MEND were involved in the bombing, they could have been recruited by some frustrated politicians who feel they might lose out in the approaching democratic contest were the ones behind the acts of violence to create confusion in their bid to make the country ungovernable.
Mohammed revealed that following intelligence reports, security operatives had moved swiftly by tightening security and dispersing crowds in several locations in the capital city where the perpetrators had perfected plots to plant more bombs, noting that but for the timely moves, the scope of the disaster would have been worse.
He however called on all democrats and lovers of the nation to rise up to the challenge of the times by being extra vigilant and reporting all suspicious moves to government and the security agencies.
He announced free medical treatment to all the victims stressing that the FCT administration would pick the bills just as it did for the victims of the October 1, 2010 twin bomb blasts near the Eagle Square, Abuja.
Mohammed announced that the FCT would make funds available for the feeding of the victims while on admission, expressing his deep condolences to the families of the dead and injured victims while sympathising with all residents of Abuja for the agony and discomfort caused them by the unfortunate incident.
He assured them that government was doing its best to ensure that everybody is secure in the FCT.
It was revealed that four victims of the blast were brought in dead at the Asokoro Hospital on Friday night of the explosion while 12 others who sustained various degrees of injury were brought alive and admitted at the hospital.
Out of this number, one had been treated and discharged while the remaining eleven are still on admission undergoing treatment at the hospital. Other victims were taken to other hospitals including Aso Clinic, Mogadishu Barrack Clinic and the National Hospital all in Abuja.
Story by Adesanya