Nigeria’s Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, had no words for the terrorist attacks that occurred in Cameroon on Tuesday and in Nigeria in recent days, but was quick to “strongly” condemn what he described as “the despicable terrorist attack on innocent people in Manchester, United Kingdom yesterday, Monday”.
Bomb and gun attacks by Boko Haram terrorists have escalated in Nigeria and Cameroon in recent weeks, but the Acting President rarely issues statements to sympathize with the families of the victims.
But in a statement on Tuesday, a day after an ISIS bomber killed at least 22 people in Manchester and injured about 60 others, Mr. Osinbajo said in a statement that he and the people of Nigeria were heartbroken.
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“On behalf of the people and Government of Nigeria, Prof Osinbajo expresses heartfelt condolences and solidarity with the government and people of the United Kingdom in this period of grief,” his spokesman, Laolu Akande said in a statement after a bad outing he put up at a press conference in the morning.
“Describing the attack as a dastardly act and heinous crime, Acting President Osinbajo assures Prime Minister Theresa May that the prayers and thoughts of Nigerians are with the British people as they mourn the victims, many of the them being young people.
“Acting President Osinbajo is confident that light of the civilised world will always prevail against the darkness of depravity, and he trusts that Britons and citizens of other nations across the world will continue to show resilience and courage in the wake of such terrorist crimes.
“He prays that God Almighty will comfort the bereaved families and also wishes a speedy recovery for the injured,” Akande said.
Many African leaders have been accused of valuing the lives of those in other lands but not at home. Former President Goodluck Jonathan first dismissed the brazen mass kidnap of the Chibok girls in 2014 only to reluctantly acknowledge after pressure from the West and Nigerians on the social media.