In fulfillment of the pledge of the Niger state government to give relief to families of the victims of the Christmas day bomb blast at St. Theresa Catholic Church Madalla, Suleja, the Government has given out additional N36 million to the victims of the blast bringing the total to over N100 million so far disbursed.
Disbursing the money yesterday, the chairman of the government committee on the Bomb blast, Alhaji Yusuf Garba Tagwai said just like in the earlier disbursement, families of the dead victims would receive one million naira each.
He stated further that 117 injured persons would get N250, 000 each apart from payment of their medical bills by the state government which was taken care of immediately after the blast.?
According to him, the state government had earlier disbursed another N65 million to the victims including three surrounding churches, shops as well as N500,000 each to three persons whose cars were affected in the blast.
The chairman of the state relief committee who is also the state commissioner for Local government affairs stated that the payment of the compensation was in fulfilment of the promise of the governor, Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu when he visited the victims during the bomb blast.
He disclosed that 138 victims benefited in the payment of compensation which he lamented could not substitute the lives lost during the blast.
Tagwai stated that in drawing inference from what happened to the people during the Christmas day blast, the people should be vigilant and be more security conscious to report any suspicious movement or gathering to the security agents.
The? parish priest, St. Theresa catholic church, Madalla, Reverend Father Isaac Achi noted that the situation in the church have not remained the same since the church was rocked by the bomb blast adding that only 60 per cent of those who made promises to the church had fulfilled their promises.
He said that even the 60 per cent of the redemption of the promises came after Easter about four months after the bomb blast which claimed no fewer than 38 lives and injured several others.