By Ayomide Oriade

At an emotional sitting in the House of Representatives on Tuesady, Speaker of the House Aminu Tambuwal, stated that the Nigerian government no longer has any excuse for failing to stop the “cowardice” by extremist group, Boko Haram. The speaker who stated this in a speech to legislators resuming from a two-week break said the government (including the lawmakers) can no longer justify its inability to protect innocent Nigerians from gruesome murder.

“In my brief statement immediately after that attack, I warned that Nigeria is running out of excuses for our failure to live up to our responsibility to protect our citizens. Today I wish to amend that comment and declare that we have run out of excuses. We no longer have any excuse for our inability to protect our innocent defenseless children from gratuitous violence,” he said.

Tambuwal said lawmakers should express their “outrage”, and imagine the murdered pupils were their wards. He declared the sitting “A Day of Mourning”.

He described the Boko Haram sect as cowards for attacking defenseless citizens.  “Whatever grievances the terrorists harbour against the government of Nigeria, Nigeria’s innocent children have nothing to do with it. It is therefore an act of cowardice worthy of ringing condemnation to target the children, to strike at those who are not only innocent but are also unable to strike back or defend themselves.”