By Michael Agbaji
The Speaker of the House of Representatives Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen Ph.D, has said that given the recent spate of attacks in some parts of the country, the 10th National Assembly was taking measures to nip it in the bud and prevent any further resurgence.
The Speaker stated this on Friday during a condolence visit to the Emir of Zazzau, His Royal Highness, Amb. Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli, over the sad incidents of the collapse of parts of the Zaria Central Mosque last Friday, which killed several people and injured many others during the Asr prayer, as well as a bandits’ attack that claimed two lives in Kofar Gayan area of Zaria on Saturday.
The speaker, who spoke in Hausa language, expressed sadness over the unfortunate incidents and assured the leadership and the people of the Zazzau Emirate that the House has taken measures aimed at forestalling any further resurgence in the affected areas, and Nigeria as a whole.
Speaker Abbas assured the Emir that the military would establish a formation around some flashpoints to forestall future attacks on communities in Zaria and its environs.
He said: “We have come to condole with His Royal Highness over what happened last last week. We are here on behalf of the House of Representatives and the Senate to condole with the Zaria people, the Zaria Emirate and the entire people of Kaduna State.
“I want to assure you that based on the way banditry wants to return, we in the House have taken some measures. We have started engaging the military, and they will come and establish a formation around the female school at the Kofar Gayan axis. They have assured us that they would do that.
“I also want to assure you that as a son of the land and one of the kingmakers in this palace, I am ready to contribute to the rebuilding of the mosque. When it’s time for the work, let me know so that I’ll contribute my quota to the rebuilding. We thank you for giving us this opportunity to come and condole with you.”
Also speaking, the Speaker of the Kaduna State House of Assembly Hon. Dahiru Liman expressed sadness over the two occurrences, pledging to complement the efforts of the Speaker and his colleagues towards rebuilding the collapsed mosque.
“We accompanied the Speaker to come and condole with you over what happened. Their death was painful, but we all pray that we die the same way (dying while praying),” he said.
The Speaker was accompanied by principal officers and members of the House such as the Minority Leader, Hon. Kingsley Chinda; Deputy Minority Leader, Hon. Ali Isa, among others, who also made generous donations, both individually and collectively, toward the reconstruction of the Zaria Central Mosque.
Responding to the gesture, the Emir of Zazzau, His Royal Highness, Amb. Ahmad Nuhu Bamali, expressed gratitude to the Speaker and his entourage for the condolence visit.
He said the people of the Zazzau Emirate were thrown into grief due to the collapsed mosque and the bandits’ attack.
“We are glad for your condolence visit. We thank you for finding out time to come here. Today is exactly seven days that the unfortunate incident occurred. We are hopeful that those who lost their lives are in Jannatul Firdaus.
“First, they attended the Jumma’at prayer, and during the Asr prayer, the unfortunate incident happened.
“Secondly, they died on a Friday, and we all know what that means in Islam. Again, they were in the middle of prayer, and it was Asr prayer. So, their death was significant. We pray that Allah grant them Jannatul Firdaus.”
Expressing gratitude for the donations by lawmakers, Amb. assured the delegation the funds would be channelled toward reconstructing the damaged mosque, built in 1835.
The Speaker, before departing from the palace, presented a letter of condolence to the Emir on behalf of the leadership of the National Assembly.
