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Tag: bomb blasts

  • When Muna erupted in bomb blasts…

    MUNA township is now a ghost town. The ghosts of five suicide bombers: three teenage girls who detonated Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) at the Muna motor park and Muna Dalti, roam languidly above the evening altars and doorsills of the villagers’ thatched huts. The ghost of their older accomplices, two young adults who fell to a hail of bullets from officers of the Nigerian Army, haunt the transit township that hosts thousands of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) fleeing the bloody campaign of dreaded terrorist sect, Boko Haram.

    Echoes of assault rifles and devastating bomb blasts puncture the peace of impoverished families dwelling in the neighbourhood.  But contrary to widespread perception that Muna was a hot zone waiting to implode, the township pulsed with peace and commercial activity several days and few hours before the blast. About 5.30 pm on Thursday, February 16, the reporter visited the scene before the bomb blasts with a guide. Everything seemed picture perfect. ‘Muna is regaining its old glory,” stated the guide, with undisguised fascination and pride, as he escorted the reporter away from the scene.

    Precisely four hours after our exit, a teenage girl sauntered into the Muna vehicle park. She looked suspicious at first glance, hence members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) on patrol accosted her. But no sooner did they confront her than she took to her heels. The CJTF officers gave her a hot chase, calling on her to quit running. Suddenly, she slackened her pace, waiting for them to move closer.

    As they gained paces on her, reality kicked in, cutting swathes of regret through their muscular frames. The subject of their chase was strapped to a bomb. In an instant, she blew into a mess of bones and burning flesh. Eight of her hunters went down in a thud. Through the blinding flash and deafening blast, their shrill cries of pain attracted a crowd to the scene.

    Predictably, the scene swarmed with sympathisers and folks who had lost one valuable or the other. The teenage bomber, besides taking her own life and hurting eight others, destroyed property worth hundreds of thousands of naira.

    Having scurried amid a row of merchandise trucks, 13 to be precise, she destroyed merchandise when she went up in flames. In the wake of the blasts, truck drivers ran into each other as they hastened and swerved to avoid been caught in the explosions.

    Two hours past midnight, while the CJTF fought to instill peace and quench the fire from the burning trucks, twin bomb blasts rent the air in Muna Dalti, a nearby village.

    The two suicide bomber involved in the blasts were earlier accosted by members of the CJTF when they were found loitering within the village around 2.00 am. Petulantly, they claimed they were waiting for their husbands with whom they came into the village. As the interrogation intensified, they were found fiddling with a device under their clothes. The vigilante group stepped back in the nick of time.

    The two girls blew apart when one of them succeeded in igniting the IED strapped to her body.

    In an exclusive interview with The Nation, Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) officer, Muhammadu Idris, confirmed that the suicide bombers first struck around 11:30 pm at Muna Motor Park, while the other attacks occurred at Muna Dalti around 2:00 a.m.

    Corroborating him, Ba’ani Aliko, another CJTF, disclosed that there would have been more casualties had they not stepped back from the girls in the nick of time.

    Further findings by The Nation revealed that the army killed about six members of the dreaded members of the Boko Haram terrorist sect at the Mafa military checkpoint, about nine kilometres from the state capital as they tried to storm into town. However, as Muna town heaved a sigh of relief, tragedy struck again as the three teenage suicide bombers, who had successfully snuck into town, detonated their explosives.

    Police Public Relations Officer, Victor Isuku, confirmed the incident although he stated that just one suicide bomber was killed.

    “Yesterday at about 2318hrs, a suicide bomber sneaked into the midst of 13 pick up trucks loaded with goods along Maiduguri/Mafa road, said to be awaiting departure to Gamboru Ngala early hrs of today and detonated IEDs strapped on self. The resulting explosion razed down the parked vehicles beyond recognition. EOD/Police patrol team were promptly deployed to the scene to restore safety & normalcy,” he said.

    The Nation, however, authoritatively reports that the police’s anti-bomb squad arrived the scene around 8.30 am, about eight hours after the incident. Further investigations revealed that about five suicide bombers and members of the Boko Haram sect were killed by officers of the Nigerian Army at the town’s gates, thus increasing the number of casualties to eight.

  • 2 feared killed as gunshots, bombings mar Rivers rerun

    2 feared killed as gunshots, bombings mar Rivers rerun

    • GOC accuses PDP leaders of lying
    • Wike says army, police connived with APC to rig poll
    • Peterside says it’s propaganda

    Just as experienced during the 2015 general elections and the March 19 rerun, yesterday’s legislative rerun in Rivers State was again marred by killings, bomb blasts, gunshots, thuggery, violence and snatching of ballot boxes and other electoral materials.
    The Rivers Governor, Nyesom Wike, alleged that two agents of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were shot dead in Bodo-Ogoni in Gokana Local Government Area of the state, allegedly by security agents.
    Bodo-Ogoni is the hometown of the Secretary to the Rivers State Government (SSG), Chief Kenneth Kobani, while the shooting mostly took place at St. Pius College of the crude oil and gas-rich town, when accreditation and voting were about to commence.
    The deafening gunshots in Bodo made the electorate and officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to scamper to safety.
    There were also bomb blasts in Abonnema-Kalabari, the headquarters of Akuku-Toru LGA of the state, with elections in the area postponed till today.
    Hoodlums equally engaged security personnel in heavy shootout in Bori, the traditional headquarters of Ogoniland and the seat of Khana LGA of the state and other parts of the council, with gunshots also recorded in Etche LGA of Rivers.
    The electoral commission announced the cancellation of the polls in Unit 3, Ward 9 of Bolo in Ogu/Bolo LGA of the state, over snatching of electoral materials by hoodlums.
    INEC’s electoral materials for the rerun in Unit 10, Ward 3 of Oyigbo, the headquarters of Oyigbo LGA of the state were snatched by hoodlums.
    The Rivers Chairman of the PDP, Chief Felix Obuah, raised the alarm on the arrest and killing of many members of the party, allegedly by soldiers in Tai-Ogoni and Gokana-Ogoni LGAs of the state.
    He said: “PDP in Rivers State condemns Nigerian Army’s arrest and killing of members of PDP in Tai and Gokana LGAs. The soldiers arrested over 200 PDP members in Tai LGA, 12 innocent PDP members were shot and one member of the party was killed in Tai LGA.
    “Barako community in Gokana LGA was also invaded by soldiers; scores of PDP members were arrested.”
    The General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the newly-created 6 Division of the Nigerian Army in Port Harcourt, Maj.-Gen. Kasimu Abdulkarim, described as false, the alarm raised by Rivers PDP chairman.
    Maj.-Gen. Abdulkarim, yesterday in a telephone interview, admonished all right-thinking Rivers people and other stakeholders to ignore the lies of Obuah and other leaders of the PDP.
    The GOC said: “It (Obuah’s allegation) is not true. Let them not create conflict within a conflict. Nobody should raise any alarm. I have just returned to the office in Port Harcourt, from monitoring the elections, which have been peaceful and the voters are orderly.
    “I was with the Deputy Inspector-General of Police (Operations), Habila Joshak, when the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, called him to know the security situation on the ground and he (DIG) told IGP that everywhere was very calm and the electorate exercising their franchise. I do not know why they will cry wolf, where there is none.”
    Bulk of the voting yesterday took place in seven LGAs of Andoni, Akuku-Toru, Bonny, Etche, Ikwerre, Khana and Gokana, while the rerun was planned for 1,840 polling units in the 23 LGAs, across the three senatorial districts of the state, before violence erupted in some parts of the state.
    The polls were to elect three senators, eight of 13 members of the House of Representatives and nine (not 10) of 32 members of Rivers House of Assembly, excluding Degema constituency, being occupied by an ex-militant leader, Farah Dagogo, based on favourable judgment of the Court of Appeal, Abuja penultimate week.
    To ensure free, fair, credible and peaceful rerun, there was heavy deployment of soldiers, policemen, operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) and other security agents in the hitherto volatile Niger Delta state.
    The Transportation Minister, Rotimi Amaechi, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), could not vote yesterday at his Ubima hometown in Ikwerre LGA, because the result sheet was missing, with the presiding officer of his Unit 14 later arrested by security agents.
    Gunmen also carted away all the electoral materials in Unit 16, Ubima, shortly after another indigene of the town, Sir Celestine Omehia, a former Rivers governor, but of the PDP, voted.
    Heavy shootout was also witnessed at Ubima till late in the evening yesterday, with the electoral materials of Unit 3, Ward 8 in the town also carted away by hoodlums, while the ballot boxes of some units in Ward 3, Elele, in the same Ikwerre LGA, were snatched.
    The Rivers governor, later in an online statement yesterday evening by his Special Assistant on Electronic Media, Simeon Nwakaudu, accused the Nigerian Army and the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Nigerian Police of killing the two PDP agents, hijacking electoral materials and working to deliver a particular candidate in Rivers Southeast Senatorial District.
    He claimed that no matter the use of the Nigerian Army and SARS personnel by the APC-led Federal Government, Rivers state would never be conquered.
    Wike stated that he was reacting to the mass shootings by soldiers and policemen in Khana, Gokana, Akuku-Toru and Etche LGAs of the state during the rerun, alleging that the security agents were deployed in Rivers to manipulate the results of the polls.
    He alleged that true to the claim by the APC governors and leaders of the party that they would use federal might against Rivers people, he claimed that the military had been used to rig the elections in parts of the state, even when INEC was still collating the results at the LG level.
    The governor claimed that in Khana LGA, the election materials for the entire LGA were hijacked by soldiers and SARS personnel.
    He noted that in Gokana LGA, soldiers hijacked electoral materials for Wards 2 and 3 in Bodo, where the military men killed the two PDP agents, allegedly in the process of fleeing with the materials.
    Wike stated that out of the 19 wards of Etche LGA, soldiers and SARS operatives hijacked electoral materials for four wards.
    He stressed that the unfortunate onslaught by the military and SARS personnel started in the night of December 9, when Amaechi backed by a battalion of soldiers and over 20 SARS personnel, allegedly attempted to hijack electoral materials from the Isiokpo INEC headquarters in his Ikwerre LGA (Amaechi is from Ubima), but was resisted by the youths.
    The Rivers governor noted that in Opobo-Nkoro LGA, where the governorship candidate of the APC during the 2015 election, Dr. Dakuku Peterside (he is from Opobo Town, the LG headquarters), hails from, soldiers allegedly hijacked electoral materials and took them to the home of a member of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the APC, Dr. Sam Sam Jaja.
    Wike said: “I anticipated it. I tried to let the world know that these are the plans of the security agencies.
    “In all my political career, I have never experienced this kind of invasion by security agencies. What causes violence is when you give certain persons undue advantage.
    “Be assured that we are resisting it. It may take our lives, but we will resist it to the last. That is what is expected, when you are fighting for freedom. You must make sacrifices.
    “It is unfortunate that we are congratulating the opposition for winning in Ghana, but here the military men are directly involved in rigging and hijacking of electoral materials.”
    “They say they want to give Rivers State Governor problems, but you are not giving Rivers State Governor problems, you are giving Nigeria problems.”
    Rivers governor also stated that he had informed an unnamed National Commissioner of INEC and the Resident Electoral Commissioner of the commission in Rivers State, Aniedi Ikoiwak, of the problems in Khana and Gokana LGAs, with an assurance that action would be taken.
    The Rivers Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Nnamdi Omoni, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), was contacted at 6:51 p.m. yesterday to react to Wike’s allegations, but he declared that the Rivers police command was not aware of what the governor claimed to have happened during the rerun.
    Peterside, who is also the Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), however, declared that no amount of propaganda and lies could save Wike and his PDP from being rejected by Rivers people.
    The APC chieftain, while speaking yesterday, after visiting his Andoni-Opobo/Nkoro federal constituency, where he said voting went on smoothly, lauded INEC and its officials for the impressive performance, in spite of the challenging situations.
    He accused the governor of embarking on all manners of propaganda and blackmail against the leaders of the APC, security agencies and INEC, in an attempt to hoodwink unsuspecting members of the public.
    Peterside, a former member of the House of Representatives, expressed displeasure at the manner known sympathisers of PDP and serving Rivers government officials were spreading falsehood and publishing fake results both in the traditional and social media.
    He said: “Rivers people are tired of Wike and his PDP propaganda, which defy any form of civility and sense of decorum. The governor has made all manner of cries and wailing, in an attempt to be seen as the victim and attract sympathy, even he is busy hatching evil plans by the day.
    “The truth is that is the Rivers governor and his PDP members have been plotting all manner of evil and are desperate. Wike is only crying, because all his plans have been checkmated by the presence of security agencies and determination of Rivers people to reject him, because of his deceit.”
    The NIMASA boss also called on Rivers people to ignore results being circulated on the social media and mischief of PDP members, who he insisted had been stopped in their known tracks.

  • Update: 30 dead, 105 injured in fresh Gombe attack

    The Red Cross Society of Nigeria confirmed 35 persons dead and 105 injured in the double bomb blasts that occurred in Gombe on Wednesday.
    Abubakar Yakubu, Secretary of the Society in Gombe spoke at the Federal Teaching Hospital (FTH) Gombe where some of the victims are currently treatment.
    The Police Public Relations officer, DSP Fwaje Atajiri confirmed that the first blast occurred at Dadin Kowa Motor Park at about 7:50pm and another one followed about an hour later at Dukku motor Park.
    He said both areas were immediately cordoned off to prevent looting of shops by hoodlums while restriction of movement equally imposed to enable the police more security of lives and property.
    An eyewitness at Dadin-Kowa Motor Park said the blast occurred in between the park and a nearby mosque while people were coming out of the mosque after observing their prayer at about 7:30pm.
    This incident brought to over 80 death and about 180 injuries cased by Boko Haram in Gombe in less than a week, the closest sequence and highest number of casualties

  • 58 killed, 139 injured in Maiduguri multiple blasts

    58 killed, 139 injured in Maiduguri multiple blasts

    •Governor cancels campaign

    At least 58 people lay dead yesterday in Maiduguri after   five coordinated bomb blasts in separate parts of Borno State capital.

    The attacks bore the hallmarks of the terror sect, Boko Haram.

    The blasts immediately sparked confusion and a traffic gridlock in the city.

    The first attack was carried out by a female suicide bomber at the Baga fish market at about 11:20 am, said Abubakar Gamandi, the head of the fisherman’s union in the metropolis.

    “A female suicide bomber exploded as soon as she stepped out of a tricycle taxi,” said Gamandi, who was at the scene. “Eighteen people were killed.”

    That account was supported by a nurse at the Maiduguri General Hospital, where many of the victims were taken.

    An eye witness , Abdullahi Garba said: “a tricycle driver  was trying to force his  way into the market at top speed when the blast occurred from the tricycle.

    “The spot  was crowded at the time  which explained why so many people died,” he said.

    About an hour later another bomb blast hit the popular Monday Market, killing 15 people and close to the scene of the November 2014 blast which killed scores of people.

    A vigilance group member, Salisu Yayaý, claimed to have counted five ambulances that evacuated victims from the scene.

    It was not immediately clear whether the second attack was carried out by a suicide bomber.

    “For now, we have at least 33 dead bodies from the two incidents…the toll may change because we are expecting more casualties,” said Gamandi.

    The first two attacks were confirmed by Justice Commissioner Kaka Shehu, but he declined to provide casualties figures until rescue workers had completed their searches.

    Shortly after 1:00 pm a third bombing occurred at the busy Borno Express bus terminal.

    “We condemn these acts in their entirety and we extend our condolences to the victims,” Shehu said.

    “The terrorists are angry with the way they were sacked from towns and villages and are now venting their anger,” he added.

    The Commissioner of Police Clement Adoda confirmed the number of deaths to be 58 while 139 were injured.

    Shehu was referring to an ongoing offensive against Boko Haram in Borno state being waged by Nigeria and Chad, with support from Cameroon and Niger.

    The Chief Medical Director of Borno State Specialists Hospital, Dr Salisu Kwaya Bra, told reporters that more than 50 died in the attacks.

    “So far 50 dead bodies have been received here from the three blasts and 36 injured persons are receiving treatment at our Accident and Emergency unit,” he said.

    But another source at the mortuary said 47 bodies were brought to the morgue, and    more than 60 were injured. He lamented that the number of the injured and dead victims was a massive challenge for the hospital.

    “Our facilities are overwhelmed; we couldn’t take all the injured persons. Some of them have been taken to the University Teaching Hospital and others to Umaru Shehu Hospital and other private hospitals as the situation permits,” the source said.

    The four-nation offensive against Boko Haram has claimed major successes over the insurgents since the start of last month, and analysts have said that Boko Haram would likely step up bombings on civilian targets in response.

    The sect has increased suicide bombings and village attacks recently as forces from Nigeria and Chad have driven the insurgents from a score of towns along Nigeria’s border with Cameroon.

    Its members have attacked villages in Cameroon and Niger as Nigeria’s neighbors are forming a multinational force to confront the spreading uprising.

    Chad’s President Idris Deby last week said his forces know the whereabouts of Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau and warned him to surrender or face certain death.

    Boko Haram fighters are massing at their headquarters in the northeastern town of Gwoza, in apparent preparation for a showdown with multinational forces, according to witnesses who escaped from the town.

    An intelligence officer said they were aware of the movement but that the military is acting with care as many civilians still are trapped in the town and Boko Haram is laying land mines around it. Consequent upon yesterday’s bomb blasts, Governor Kashim Shettima decided to cut short his political campaigns in the southern part of the state

    He condemned the attacks as heinous.

    The governor, through his  media aide, Malam Isa Gusau, sympathized  with the bereaved families and prayed for the repose of the souls of the  dead.

    He also prayed for the quick recovery of the injured and promised that government would foot their medical bills and provide every assistance necessary for the victims of both the dead and the injured.

    Gusau said:”The Governor has, immediately after getting information about the incidence, directed the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice whose Ministry deals with citizens’ rights, to visit all affected areas and ensure speedy evacuation of victims to hospitals and mobilize medical doctors for emergency treatments that will be shouldered by the State Government. The, Governor directed that all necessary steps be taken to safe lives where possible no matter what is required.”

    Gov. Shettima also regretted that the attacks happened when residents of the city were adjusting to normal life with the recent success stories over the fight against the insurgency.

    “Governor Shettima was visibly troubled by the unfortunate bomb blast which came at a time citizens of Borno were already adjusting to normal lives following successes being recorded by the combined efforts of the military, other security agencies and youth volunteers called the civilian JTF involved in ongoing counter insurgency operations in different parts of the State.

  • 15 people feared killed in Kano multiple bomb blasts

    ABOUT 15 people were feared killed yesterday after multiple bomb blasts occurred at Hotoro quarters close to the NNPC mega station in Kano.

    This was the account of eyewitnesses, but the police confirmed that six people died in the explosions.

    Five people, including three policemen sustained various degrees of injury in the blast. The blast which occurred at about 7:30 pm shook the foundation of the area, causing the residents to be running helter skelter for their dear lives.

    The bomb, according to sources close to the area was planted at a crowded terminus within the NNPC and the checkpoint, apparent targeting the security men. It was said to have exploded in the midst of chaotic traffic situation.

    An unconfirmed report said that some security men at the checkpoint might be among the dead.

    In a telephone chat with The Nation, the police commissioner, Mr Adenrele Shinaba said contrary to the eye-witnesses’ claim, only six people died in the incident. He asserted that six people were killed in the blast, adding: “Five others including three policemen were injured. Developments may however make the the casualty figure to increase. “At about 7:30pm, there was a deafening sound and immediately my men were alerted about it, we swung into action and on reaching the scene of the incident, we discovered that it was a bomb blast.’’

  • Bomb blasts rock Gombe

    Bomb blasts rock Gombe

    Many people were  feared dead as multiple explosions rocked Gombe, the capital of Gombe State, yesterday.

    The explosions occurred at a time that palpable tension was gradually giving way to some calm.

    Checks carried out by our correspondent at some hospitals around the city revealed that eight people had died in the explosion, while about 30 others secured various degrees of injury.

     The explosion occurred at the Gombe State Transport Corporation (Gombe Line) at about 9:40 am, after the usual morning rush.

    The Medical Director, Gombe Specialist Hospital, Dr. Reuben Ardo, said that eight people were brought into the hospital dead, while some others in critical conditions were being attended to.

    He said a few others who sustained minor injuries had been treated and discharged.

    At the Federal Teaching Hospital (FTH), the Head of Department, Accident and Emergency, Dr. Saleh Adamu, confirmed that a victim was brought in dead, while eight others were injured, including one in the operation theatre.

    A resident, who identified himself as Bello Sule, said a lot of the victims had been conveyed to various hospitals in the city at the time of visit.

    He called on government to expedite action on ending the activities of the insurgents, even as he called on them to embrace dialogue and press their demands with human face.

    A newspaper distributor in Gombe, who identified himself simply as Joshua, said he barely escaped the explosion as he had just left the motor park where he went to send unsold copies of a magazine when the explosions occurred.

    Confirming the incident, the Commissioner of Police in the state, Kudu Abdullahi Nma, said the improvised explosive devices were transported into the motor park in a 10-seater mini bus with Yobe Line inscribed on it.

    He said the vehicle was driven into the Gombe Line motor park unchecked and it offloaded the improvised explosive device (IED), which later exploded, killed and injured a lot of people in the process.

    Three suspects were said to have been arrested in connection with the incident.

    Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo appealed to the perpetrators of the blasts to consider the anguish the victims were going through and have a rethink over their actions.

    The Governor spoke yesterday evening at the Federal Teaching Hospital after visiting the scene of the blasts and the State Specialist Hospital where survivors were receiving treatment.

    It was learnt the governor immediately flew in from Abuja on receiving the news of the blasts.

    He said: “It is important again to call on the perpetrators of this act to come to the hospital and see the conditions of these people; they are in pains while some have lost their loved ones.

    “Violence is not the solution to solving any grievances. I am sure the President is ready to discuss any kind of issues and address them. We are ready to listen. We are ready to take the interest of everybody and we are ready to proffer solutions.”

    He said the government would take care of the medical bills and support the families of the victims.

    “We will provide some kind of support to their families while they are in hospital. For those that have died, we will take care of their burial expenses and take care of certain family responsibilities.

    “I call on our people to continue to pray as no situation surpasses God. We will all one day go back to our father, the creator of heaven and earth. We pray for peace, stability and unity of our people and country”, he said.

    The Governor also called on the people to always be vigilant, observant and be very patient while avoiding rumour and hearsay as these could complicate the problems.

    “It is an unfortunate situation. It is so sad that this is happening. The only thing we can do is to pray to God Almighty to help us see the end of it,” said the Chief of Staff, Government House, Gombe, Alhaji Ahmed Yayari.

    He described the incident as “very sad one designed to test our faith. We will take up the test.”

    He added: “It is quite sad, and government is doing everything possible to see that it averts this kind of situation. The people of Gombe have also been prayerful all through to see that we don’t witness this kind of thing. But whatever we do is a test of our faith and we will take up this test.

    “What we can only do is to pray for the soul of the departed. We that are surviving, we pray that this is the last of this kind of incident we will see.

    “Gombe has been one of the most peaceful states, not only in the Northeast, but in the country at large, and government and the governor are trying as much as possible.”

    The Chief of Staff, who spoke at the Specialist Hospital, said: “So far, I have seen eight dead bodies, and I have seen a lot of injured people. It is quite sad.”

    The Deputy Governor, Mr. Jason Tha’anda Rubainu, was also at the hospitals with some top government functionaries on visits to the victims.

  • DSS gets knocks for linking APC with bomb blasts

    DSS gets knocks for linking APC with bomb blasts

    The Centre for the Vulnerable and the Underprivileged (CENTREP) has condemned comments by the spokesperson of the Department of State Security (DSS), Mrs. Marilyn Ogar, linking the All Progressives Congress (APC) to Boko Haram.

    Mrs. Ogar was quoted as saying: “When the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) wins an election, the nation records bomb blasts, but when the APC wins an election, there is no bomb blast.”

    The National Coordinator of the Southsouth group, Mr. Oghenejabor Ikimi, described Mrs. Ogar’s statement as “irresponsible, reprehensible, reckless and unbecoming of a senior security operative”.

    He said it was unfortunate that a senior security operative could make such allegation without substantiating it.

    Ikimi said: “The comment of the DSS spokesperson was unprofessional and portrayed the DSS as an organisation working for the ruling party alone and not Nigeria as a country. What a shame.

    “In the light of the foregoing, we urge security agencies to insulate themselves, henceforth, from politics to effectively defend our fledgling democracy from political hawks and buccaneers parading our polity.”

    The group dismissed Mrs Ogar’s claim that DSS officials declined N14 million bribe offered to them by politicians in Osun State, describing

    it as “a mere publicity stunt lacking evidence”.

    Ikimi said: “Why were the persons involved not arrested and handed over to the police for investigation and prosecution?”

    He advised Mrs. Ogar to stay away from politics and focus on her job.

  • Plateau: Living in the shadow of fear

    Plateau: Living in the shadow of fear

    A calm atmosphere prevails in Jos after the twin blast of last Tuesday, but the people are living in serious apprehension and tension due to rumours and fear of motor vehicles, YUSUFU AMINU IDEGU reports.

    Jos, the Plateau State capital was unusually calm days after the twin bomb blasts that led to the death over one hundred people last Tuesday. There was no violent reaction from any sections of the state as a result of the incident. This is an exceptional case because in all such cases in the past, the city witnessed days of continuous carnage perpetrated by youths in the name of reprisal.

    But last Tuesday’s twin bomb explosion which occurred in a market in Jos central area could not be attributed to any religious group most especially as victims of the blast cut across all ethnic and regions divides in the city unlike other bomb explosions in the past like that of 2010, 2011 and 2012.

    Some aggrieved sections of the state actually waited for the next day to confirm the extent of casualties before reacting. The Christian community and its Muslim counterpart waited to know if there are more Christian victims than Muslim or vice versa. The adherents of both religions went round hospitals and mortuaries around the city to discover that everyone is in deep grief.

    Equal losses

    A sympathizer at one of the hospitals Mr. Samson Auta said, “It was actually suspected that such attacks are the handiwork of Boko Haram sect, which is suspected to be a child of Islamic religion. But the situation at the mortuary now is that there are good numbers of Christian victims and Muslim victims among the dead. So it will be difficult for anyone to think of reprisal.”

    At the morgue of the Plateau Specialists Hospital, several Muslim families came in search of their missing relations. So also the Christian families; children were searching for body of their mothers, husbands were looking for their missing wives, friends, class mates were looking for their loved ones and so on.

    In this scenario, rather than anyone thinking of reprisal, both religious adherents were united in grief, they became united in the prevailing gloomy mood of the moment. In spite of the mutual suspicion among both religions, they were emotionally moved to console one another at the mortuary. When someone broke down on discovering the body of loved ones, other around will gather to console the other.

    At the morgue of Plateau Specialists Hospital, the first vehicle that came to pick an identified body was a Muslim van. As they picked some from there, they were heading to the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) to pick another one.

    In this obvious circumstance of mutual grief, the idea of indicting the other as source of the attack became weak and baseless. This made the city calm after the incidence, all the fears around town of possible outbreak of violence never happened.

    But not to take anything for granted, security was beefed up by security agencies. Armed police and soldier were promptly deployed to all the nooks and crannies of the city to forestall any outbreak of violence. There was serious security surveillance at indentified volatile sections of the city so as not to be taken unawares.

    Dousing the tension

    Leaders of both religions also became sensitive and cautious; they warned their youths against participating in any form of violence as a result of the blasts. The Nigerian Aid Group of the Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) moved as fast as possible to issue statement warning against violence, so also the state branch of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN)

    Lawal Ishaq, state secretary of the Muslim group said in a statement, “The Nigerian Aid Group of Jama’atu Nasril Islam, Plateau state branch was shocked by the unfortunate twin bomb blast at terminus market, Jos. The organisation condemns this dastardly act and reiterates its position that whoever is behind such act should be enemy of humanity. Surely God in His infinite mercy will visit His wrath on every single evil doer both here and hereafter.

    “We seize this opportunity to condole those that lost their loved ones and pray for the quick recovery of those involved. In the same vein, youths in all parts of Jos are enjoined to exercise restraint and desist from blocking roads and harassing innocent passersby in the name of reprisals. Surely whoever is behind these bomb blasts is a common enemy of all irrespective of faith or ethnic background.”

    In the same vein, the state chapter of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in a statement said, “The state chapter condemns unequivocally the twin bomb blasts that killed many traders mostly women, dozens of commuters and others at Terminus, a busy market in Jos.

    “This mindless, heinous and unwarranted wickedness against innocent lives that have been cut short in another unexplainable orgy of bloodletting cannot be allowed to continue. Security agencies should go extra mile to bring those behind this dastardly act justice and beef ip surveillance around busy areas in the city.

    “The state officials of CAN have gone round the hospitals and mortuaries in Jos where the victims are receiving treatment. Our thoughts, prayers and condolences go out to the families that have lost loved ones as well as those injured. You are not alone.”

    The position of leaders of both religions went a long way in dousing tension and discouraging any violent move against the other. At the end of it all, it was calm everywhere in the volatile city.

    However, as religious leaders and security teamed up to prevent post-explosion violence, they could not prevent the spate of rumour been peddled around the city. Almost every other car on the streets of Jos are been suspected to be explosive-bearing car. This fear is obvious because, the twin explosions were planted in vehicles which were abandoned by those that brought them before the explosions.

    Since then, the fear of abandoned vehicles in the city has become the new wisdom. Any car seen parked at the road side for 30 minutes without the owner there will be forced people within the neighborhood to invite the police. Several of such cases have continued to cause unnecessary chaos, apprehension and tension in the city since the last Tuesday’s blast.

    Though there is calm after the blast but citizens are not moving freely as usual as a result of the fears and suspicions all over the city.