Bomb blasts rock Nigeria, 15 killed, 55 injured

Source: Independentngonline
•15 killed, 51 injured in Bauchi, Abuja
•Another four seriously wounded in Zaria •Military vehicle targeted in Borno
By Rotimi Akinwumi, Sola Shittu (Abuja), Abdulkareem Haruna (Maiduguri), Baba Negedu (Kaduna) and
Patience Ogbodo (Bauchi)        

One-year-old Chinecherem Nwoma, a victim of the bomb blasts, receiving treatment at Living Rock Hospital Zuba, Abuja ... on Monday.Photo: Jide Oyekunle.

Terror fears materialised on Sunday night in co-ordinated bomb explosions in Abuja and other parts of the North, taking 15 lives and leaving 55 injured, a few hours after Goodluck Jonathan was inaugurated President amid tight security.

Thirteen died and 40 were injured in Bauchi, two died and 11 were injured in Abuja.

Four were severely injured in Zaria, with Boko Haram, the fundamentalist Islamic sect, bombing a military patrol vehicle in one attack in Maiduguri.

Abuja suffered bomb blasts on October 1 last year. Bauchi and Maiduguri were part of the theatre of the violence that erupted after the Presidential ballot on April 16 this year.

Militants had threatened to disrupt the Presidential inauguration. They did not succeed.

However, a bomb blast at exactly 8 p.m. at a beer parlour at Zuba International Market, Abuja marked the closure of the Presidential inauguration on Sunday.

The explosive was kept in a Baco sack under a table. The blast injured 11 persons, including Chinecherem Nwoma, a girl aged one year and  two months. 

Two persons died, one a girl aged six who gave up the ghost on the way to hospital.

Those injured were taken to Living Rock Hospital, Diamond Crest Hospital, Gwagwalada General Hospital, and another hospital in Madala.

Doctor Promise Echebiri, who received the victims at Living Rock, said six injured persons were admitted.

Chinecherem's mother, Vivian Onyeka, said she was roasting a chicken when she heard the blast and found herself in the debris of broken bottles and chairs scattered all over the place.

She was taken to hospital by relatives.

Yakubu Zakaraya, who was severely injured, said he went to the market to buy battery for his phone when he was caught up in the blast. 

A National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) search and rescue team, led by Haman Labaran, delivered the government’s message to the victims at the hospital.  Labaran prayed for their recovery and promised an investigation.

Gwagwalada Council Chairman, Zakari Dobi, who went to the hospital in company of the Emir of Zuba, Mohammed Umar, said he  did not get the news of the incidents until 10 p.m. because of the telephone network shut down in Abuja during the inauguration.

“I immediately visited the site and arranged for the transfer of victims to hospital. We also spoke with the doctors to know if they could handle the situation,” he recounted.

Dobi added that the council will foot the bill for the treatment of all the victims.

He advised people to be more security conscious.

The police have vowed to arrest the perpetrators of the crime in Zuba, a border town between the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Suleja, Niger State.

FCT Police Public Relations Officer, Jimoh Moshood, admitted that the police for now, do not know the identity of the criminals but would do everything possible to apprehend and prosecute them.

However, State Security Service (SSS) Assistant Director of Media and Publicity, Marilyn Ogar, said she could not comment until investigation is concluded.

Thirteen persons died and 40 were injured in Bauchi in three bomb explosions at 33 Artillery Brigade headquarters on Sunday night. 

This was disclosed by the Chief of Army Staff, Lt-General Azubuike  Ihejirika,  while speaking to journalists after inspecting the scene at the Mammy Market in the military barracks. 

He and the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 3 Division, Jos, Major General Sunday Idoko, visited the hospital where some of those injured were admitted. 

Ihejirika noted that “the terrorists did not succeed in carrying out their evil acts at the venue of the inauguration (of Bauchi State Governor, Isa Yuguda) which prompted them to move  to the outskirts of the state to do such evil.

“A lot has been done on security in this country and  we all need to double our effort to train and equip our officers and men to fight for the next attempt of these terrorists. We need the co-operation of the general public because security issue is everybody’s business.”

He assured that measures are in place to ensure security of lives and property in the barracks as well as other parts of the state.

“We have not made any arrest yet but I can tell you it is the work of terrorists. We are conducting investigation on the type of explosives used as well as whoever is responsible for the incident. We must root out all the bad elements within us. 

Twin explosions in the Ungwar Juma and PZ areas of Zaria left four persons severely injured.

No life was lost.

An eyewitness said the first occurred at about 10 p.m. on Sunday at a popular beer joint known as “White House” in the PZ area, and the second at about 6 a.m. on Monday. 

The blast in Unguwar Juma on Monday injured two children – Abdullahi Yakubu, 13, and Mansur Yakubu, 11 – who went to fetch water from a well.

They are receiving treatment at Taimako Hospital, Zaria. 

Others are in Army Depot Hospital in the city.

The police anti-bomb squad are combing the scene of the explosions to ascertain the damage and gather evidence.

Police Spokesman Aminu Lawal confirmed the investigation and appealed to people to report any suspicious movements to the security agencies.

A bomb suspected to be planted by Boko Haram on Baga Road in Maiduguri went off at 8 a.m. on Monday, hitting a patrol vehicle conveying members of Operation Flush, the joint  military and the police task force.

None of the personnel was injured.

Eyewitnesses said a loud bang that preceded a thick smoke sent people scampering for safety. 

It happened less than 24 hours after Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima, in his inaugural speech urged residents to stop hostilities and allow peace to reign.

The 21 Armoured Brigade Spokesman, Lieutenant Abdullahi Abubakar, said the explosion  affected the vehicle conveying the security personnel.

“The explosion might have been controlled electronically. I said this because other vehicles had passed the highway this morning but the bomb did not detonate until our men approached. 

“The perpetrators might have planted the bomb knowing full well the patrol vehicle would pass the road but the JTF members were equally alert,” Abubakar added.

The police announced that intelligence showed that suspected Boko Haram members are camping at a hideout near Yobe State to evade arrest in Maiduguri and other parts of Borno State.

 A statement issued by Police Public Relations Officer, Lawan Abdullahi, said the “modalities and mechanisms” for tracking down the “Boko Haram men” have been set in motion.

It urged the public, religious leaders, traditional rulers, and the general public to  continue to co-operate with the state government and all the security agents in order to restore the good name of Borno as truly the home of peace.