Date: 2014-04-21

This is a critical moment in the history of our country. As has been said, no single event has threatened our collective peace and security than the current Boko Haram insurgency currently ravaging some parts of the country. As if to assert that the insurgency/insecurity is a national emergency, the Abuja bombing of Monday April 14 in which 72 innocent citizens were murdered created a shockwave across our country.

This sends a strong message to all of us: no one is safe. Everyone is a target. This therefore imposes on all of us - Nigerians of all stripes, ruling party and opposition politicians combined and even non politicians - the need to unite as a people and banish the monster of terrorism from every corner of this country.

I urge all of us to set aside our differences and join in the campaign to end the killings in some parts of the country. Indeed, those 129 schoolgirls recently abducted could have been anybody's children. The Buni Yadi (Yobe) 50 could have been anyone's children. The best we could do to the memory of these innocent children is for us to drop our sentiments and seek for solution together.

As we felicitate with our Christian brothers and sisters worldwide on the Easter holiday, we should use the moment to pray for peace and harmony in Nigeria. We all seek good governance and life more abundance but these are pipe dreams if no one is able to sleep or think creatively, afraid they could be gunned down any moment.

Mohammed Dele Belgore SAN.