Posted by Femi Makinde with Agency reports on
These two short sentences were how Mrs. Marie Fatayi-Williams, mother of one of the two Nigerians believed to have been killed in Thursday's London blasts, expressed her grief in London on Monday.
'I am his mother. I need to know what happened to Anthony."
These two short sentences were how Mrs. Marie Fatayi-Williams, mother of one of the two Nigerians believed to have been killed in Thursday's London blasts, expressed her grief in London on Monday.
Rather than elicit answers, her remarks drew tears from her family members and friends of her son who accompanied her to Tavistock Square where a double-decker bus was blown up by a bomb.
Anthony Fatayi-Williams is believed to be one of the 14 passengers killed in the bus.
Mrs. Fatayi-Williams spoke amid indications that the families and friends of other victims of the explosions had virtually given up hope of finding them alive.
In a speech in the House of Commons shortly afterwards, the British Prime Minister, Mr. Tony Blair, vowed to track down the bombers.
Speaking with journalists at Tavistock Square, Mrs. Fatayi-Williams, asked repeatedly, 'How many mothers' hearts shall be maimed?
'My son, Anthony is my first son, my only son, 26, the head of my family.
'In African society, they hold onto sons. He has dreams and hopes and I, his mother, must fight to protect them."
She said anyone who believed they were acting in the name of God or Allah by committing such atrocities had been misled.
The commuters targeted by the terrorists were not 'warriors", Mrs. Fatayi-Willams said. 'Terrorism is not the way. We cannot deliver peace by killing people."
Referring to previous terrorist attacks, Mrs. Fatayi-Williams added, 'Now New York, now Madrid, now London, there has been widespread slaughter of innocent people.
'There have been streams of tears, innocent tears. There have been rivers of blood, innocent blood.
'What inspiration does senseless slaughter provide?"
She used her son as an example that all faiths and communities must team up to defeat terrorism.
She said, 'Anthony is a Nigerian who was born in London and worked in London. He is a world citizen.
'Today we have Christians, Muslims, Jews, Sikhs, Hindus - all of us united in love for Anthony.
'Hatred begets only hatred. It is time to stop this vicious cycle of killing. We must all stand together for our common humanity."
Mrs. Fatayi-Williams flew from Nigeria to London, to try to find Anthony, an oil executive working at Amec Offshore Services near Liverpool Street station.
On the morning of the attacks, Anthony was on his way to his office, but took a different route, via King's Cross, because of delays on the Northern Line.
The family believes witnesses later saw Anthony in Euston amid the confusion following the Tube attacks, helping passengers to find buses.
His mobile phone records show he contacted his employers at 9.41am to tell them he would not get to work by Tube but would find another way.
At the House of Commons, Blair thanked emergency services and transport workers who could be 'truly proud of the part they played in coming to the aid of London."
He said, 'It seems probable that the attack was carried out by Islamist extremist terrorists, of the kind who over recent years have been responsible for so many innocent deaths in Madrid, Bali, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Kenya, Tanzania, Pakistan, Yemen, Turkey, Egypt and Morocco, of course in New York on September 11, (2001), but in many other countries, too."
Blair also vowed that his government would 'pursue those responsible - not just the perpetrators but the planners of this outrage, wherever they are - and we will not rest until they are identified and brought to justice."
Meanwhile, the British security services have gone on the highest alert ever following fears of a fresh attack.
According to reports, the British intelligence believes that the bombers did not die in the blasts but survived.
In Washington, the United States President, Mr. George W. Bush described the London bombings as 'barbaric," saying that it showed the need to stay on the offensive in the global war on terrorism and finish the job in Iraq.
Bush said, 'The terrorists know they can't defeat us on the battlefield. The only way the terrorists can win is if we lose our nerve. This isn't going to happen on my watch," Bush said in a speech at the FBI academy in Virginia.
'The attack in London was an attack on the civilised world. And the civilized world is united in its resolve. We will not yield," Bush said, adding, 'In this difficult hour, the people of Great Britain can know the American people stand by you."
The Punch Tuesday, July 12, 2005