Jonathan vows to bring perpetrators of Abuja blast to justice

President Goodluck Jonathan on Friday vowed to bring the perpetrators and sponsors of Wednesday's bomb attack in Abuja to justice.

Jonathan spoke when he visited the scene of the blast at EMAB Plaza in Wuse II.

The police said 21 persons died and 17 were injured in the explosion.

The President was accompanied on the visit by the Minister of Health, Onyebuchi Chukwu and other top government officials.

He was briefed by the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 7, Suleiman Abba.

Jonathan said: “the perpetrators of this attack, those who are directly involved and those who sponsor them will surely be brought to book.”

He said the attack was quite regrettable and extremely painful. “Some Nigerians are struggling, thinking of how to contribute to national development; working very hard to take care of their families and train their children.

“Others are busy planning to kill people, intimidate them and destroy their property.

“It is one of the darkest phases in the history of our nation but surely we will get over it.

“Some other countries have passed through such cloud before and they were able to overcome it and they were able to sail through.

“We share the pains of the people who have been directly affected, the pains of their families but we will surely pass through this ugly phase of our history,” he said.

Jonathan pleaded with Nigerians to continue to bear the pains and inconveniences resulting from stringent security measures that would continue to come up while the situation lasted.

“I will use this opportunity to continue to plead with our citizens that under such situation, security operatives will come up with different options that sometimes will create some inconveniences for us.

“Instead of condemning them, let us bear. We all bear some pains, from the highest to the least because as the President, I may not be able to go everywhere I would have loved to go.

“Instead of shouting and insulting security operatives, let's give them maximum cooperation; give them relevant information.

“All countries that face terror suffer the same thing; citizens give maximum cooperation to the security operatives and help them to contain and control the situation, we will surely get over this,” he said.

Jonathan aborted his visit to Malabo, Equatorial Guinea where the African Union's Summit of Heads of State and Government is taking place.

“We are all mourning. I remember that on that day we had a football match to play and all Nigerians were celebrating the Eagles hoping they are going to win then, this act came up.

“I was airborne then; it was when I got down in Malabo that I got the information. Surely, we will get through this.”

NAN reports that the President also visited Maitama General Hospital to commiserate with some of the injured victims of the blast.

He was received on arrival and briefed by the Chief Medical Director (CMD), Dr (Mrs) Adetoun Adetimehin.