(CNN) -- The 25 victims of the August 26 terrorist bombing of the United Nations House in Abuja, the Nigerian capital, were honored in a memorial ceremony on Thursday.
Omabegho Edward-Dede, the 12-year-old surviving son of Dr. Edward Dede, a national professional officer with the World Health Organization, told the grieving crowd at the ceremony at the U.N. House premises that he is taking solace in his memories of his father.
"That fateful morning when I woke up, I didn't know we would hear such a news about the death of my father," Edward-Dede said. "There are things that we don't want to happen for which we have to accept; things which we don't want to know, but which we have to learn; people we can't live without, but to circumstances like this, we have to let go.
"However, I take courage and strength when I remember the good life my father lived."
Wreaths were placed to commemorate the victims, who were described as "martyrs of development" by Uzoma Ihedirimadu-Abudu, the president of the Federation of United Nations Staff Association of Nigeria.
Officials representing the Nigerian government and the United Nations joined members of the diplomatic corps, the armed forces and family members of the victims at the ceremony.
"While we ensure the rehabilitation of the U.N. building, we will also bring all those responsible for this act to book," said Nigerian Foreign Affairs Minister Ggenga Ashiru on behalf of Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan. "And we pray God will grant the families of the deceased the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss."
U.N. representative Daouda Toure said the deceased did not die in vain. "They died because they believed in a world of peace, tolerance and social justice. Their deaths should spur all of us as one family to continue to live the ideals for which they died."
According to official figures, 116 people also were injured in the incident, which occurred when a suicide bomber believed to be an adherent of the extremist Muslim group Boko Haram rammed a vehicle into the U.N. House. Of the dead, 11 were U.N. staff and 12 were unrelated to the U.N. Two bodies were not identified.
Several of the injured were flown to South Africa for medical treatment.
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