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Tag: Bomb

  • Waiting for surgery, one year after bomb blast

    Waiting for surgery, one year after bomb blast

    One year after the Kuje blast, baby Ifeoluwa is in dire need of surgery to walk again, Vincent Ikuomola writes.

    Do you remember the story of baby Ifeoluwa Adebayo who miraculously escaped the November 2015 Kuje bomb blast, which claimed no fewer than 20 lives?

    Well, the then 11 months old Ifeoluwa who was thrown off from her late mother’s back is doing fine, though she still lives with the scare. She now limps as a result of the blast which chopped off two toes from her right leg.

    Ifeoluwa, who will be two years old in the next two months, is in dire need of surgery to replace the toes with artificial ones and after waiting for about a year without hearing from the government, the family is appealing to kind-hearted Nigerians to come to their aide.

    The surgery is very essential for her to walk normal again, but the chances are very slim except help comes from either the government or kind-hearted Nigerians as the immediate family are also finding it difficult to make ends meet.

    The blast, blamed on Boko Haram, has seriously impacted negatively on their source of income and lifestyle.

    Mr. Adebayo Moses, Ifeoluwa’s grandfather who lost his wife and two children in the Kuje incident, is still finding it difficult to overcome the trauma, which has torn his life apart.

    The retired civil servant still finds the death of his beloved wife difficult to cope with even after about a year.

    The trauma was so much that Adebayo, a 58-year-old pensioner and native of Ife, Osun State, had to relocate from Kuje to Dawaki along Kubwa-Suleja Expressway.

    Recounting the incident Adebayo stated, “My wife and her three children were coming from her garden in Kuje. They were trekking home when the bomb blast occurred. My wife, first daughter and last child died in the blast. Another of my child, Esther, who followed them, sustained injury on her leg, while my granddaughter, who will clock one year on the 22nd of this month, lost two of her toes.

    “I am not myself. I have been devastated since this unfortunate incident occurred. My wife was like a mother to me. My lovely children ask after my wellbeing all the time. It is only God that can help me because I do not know how I will cope without them.

    He said of his daughter, Ifeoluwa’s mother, “My late daughter, Christiana, had just finished from Nasarawa State Polytechnic.”

    Almost a year after, he confessed to Abuja Review that things have been very difficult in terms of the loss, physically and financially.

    Adebayo struggled to control his emotion.

    “Whenever I get to the location of the bomb blast, I won’t be able to sleep.”

    On the plight of baby Ifeoluwa, he said “ the hospital (National Hospital Abuja) tried its best to do something about the baby’s chopped off toes and we learnt that they have written to the federal Ministry of Health for approval but the reply hasn’t come till now. The baby is not walking well. She limps.”

    He hopes government will “respond to my plight and assist me in the area of the baby’s surgery. Right now my entire gratuity has been spent and all my investment in Kuje has gone down the drain after the death of my wife as I can’t go back to that place.”

    Esther, Ifeoluwa’s aunt, who now takes care of both her father and little Ifeoluwa, scored over 200 in the last Joint Admission Matriculation Board exam but said, “I don’t think I can go to school right now because nobody will stay with my dad. He is already retired from the civil service and right now he cannot really do anything. So I have to do everything possible to see to his survival and that of the baby.

    “I can’t just abandon my father in this situation, his pension is just N14, 000 and how much can that do?”

  • UI, students dismiss bomb threat

    UI, students dismiss bomb threat

    The University of Ibadan (UI) has tightened security following a threat by a terrorist group to bomb the institution before the nation’s 56th Independence anniversary. Some students share their thoughts on the matter with MERCY ADEDIGB

    At a time when the University of Ibadan (UI) is basking in the euphoria of its new feat of ranking 601 among top 1,000 universities globally, and the only Nigerian university on the list, a message from a terrorist group, Al-wilayat al-Islamiyya Gharb Afriqiyya, threatening to bomb the university before October 1, is not creating panic on campus.

    But news of the latest ranking published by Times Higher Education (THE) on its website made the university community ecstatic.

    The message from the terrorist group was mailed to some members of staff. Part of it reads: “Most of you are going to die before Independence Day. You will not spend the Independence Day in peace, you and your students.

    “Even your little searches at the gate won’t do anything. By the time we are through with you, your government will be sorry.

    “You people are an embarrassment to Nigeria and are the people that brought in western education to Nigeria. You doomed this nation and in turn you are all going to be doomed.”

    Reacting to the message, the  Director of Public Communication, Mr Olatunji Oladejo, urged members of the community not to panic, describing it as a mere rumour.

    In a statement signed by Oladosu Olaleye Lystra of the Public Relations unit, the university said it had made efforts to secure the campus.

    “The bomb threat message was sent to cause unnecessary panic.  The Police and the Social Security have deployed intelligence officers to provide optimum security in the institution in order to forestall any tragedy or disaster, and the police and Social Security officials  are on top of the matter. “

    However, there has been mixed reaction to the threat.  Some students said they were not aware of the threat. Olukotun Tosin, a 300-Level student of Agronomy, believes the university is not doing enough to avert a bomb threat.

    “Whatever would be would be.  If the institution would be bombed it cannot be prevented.  Despite the threat, the institution did not bring any of the armed forces to help; just the institution’s security has been searching vehicles and people at the gate. Even Muslim women were searched. Let’s just hope it is not true,” he said.

    Many of those aware have however called the group’s bluff, describing the message as a rumour.

    Dike Glory, a 300-Level student of Agronomy, thinks it is a bluff.

    “It is impossible. How can they bomb UI? It cannot happen. Never!” she said vehemently.

    Adeniran Kehinde , a 200-Level student of  Biochemistry, said: “Let me tell you, whether I go home or I stay in school, if it is my time to die, I would die. The bomb could detonate at the gate. But I heard it is a rumour”.

    Ajewole Olajumoke, a 200-Level student of Educational Management, said: “It is a lie joo; nothing can happen to me even if the whole of UI is bombed, I am safe”.

    Wisdom Ighodalo , a 100-Level student of English, said it wasn’t the first time the rumour would surface.

    “The Lord is my shepherd; nothing can happen to me. But I don’t think it is true.  The same thing happened about three years ago,” he said.

    Omole Brandie, a 400-Level student of Sociology, said students might be behind the threat.

    “I don’t think it is true . It might be a prank played by a student,” he said.

    The leadership of the Students’ Union of the institution also urged students not to panic, describing the message as a prank.

    A (100-Level Communication and Language Arts Education).

  • Update: Six killed in Maiduguri explosion

    A bomb explosion rocked Maiduguri, Borno State capital, on Thursday.

    Six people died, while six others were injured in the incident.

    The explosion reportedly occurred at the gate of Shehu Usman State Secretariat located in the city centre.

    The Chairman of Borno State Emergency Management Agency, (SEMA), Engr. Satomi Ahmed, while briefing Governor Kashim Shettima and his deputy, Alhaji  Usman Mamman  Durkwa, who visited the scene of the explosion said, one policeman was killed alongside five other people.

    Six other persons were seriously injured in the blast.

    The SEMA chief said bodies of the victims, including that of the suicide bomber had been taken to the state specialists’ hospital.

    An eyewitness said the explosion occurred at 11:40am and was carried out by a male suicide bomber.

    The area has since been condoned off by military and members of the civilian joint task force.

     

  • Power supply crisis fear as militants bomb oil facility

    Power supply crisis fear as militants bomb oil facility

    Fears that power supply may get worse were rife yesterday after  Wednesday’s bombing of a Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL) major valve platform around Escravos in Warri SouthWest Local Government Area of Delta State.

    A militant group, the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), has claimed responsibility for the sabotage of the crude oil and gas production facility. The attack is coming when work is being rounded off on the bombed Forcados platform.

    Some of Nigeria’s power plants run on gas.

    The group has said it carried out an attack on a Shell oil pipeline in February which shut down the 250,000 barrel-a-day Forcados export terminal.

    In a statement, Chevron Nigeria Limited, operator of a joint venture with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), said an attack took place at about 11.15 pm (2215 GMT) on Wednesday.

    “Okan offshore facility in the Western Niger Delta region was breached by unknown persons,” said Chevron in the statement. “The facility is currently shut-in and we are assessing the situation, and have deployed resources to respond to a resulting spill.”

    There were no immediate details of any casualties. The company could not be reached for further comments.

    On Wednesday’s bombing, a source said: “Militants in the Niger Delta region have regrouped.

    “Security personnel in the region are the main targets because these militants have cravings for their arms. They kill security agents and collect their arms and ammunition. They are now stockpiling them, possibly for major onslaughts.”

    “The recent attack on naval ratings was the most brutal. Something must be done fast because the region is fast degenerating into a war zone,” he said.

    In a statement by its spokesman,‘Col’. Madoch Agbinibo, NDA threatened that the Federal Government’s recent deployment of soldiers in the oil-rich region would not deter it from crippling the nation’s economy.

    “The high command of the Niger Delta Avengers wants to use this medium to thank strike team 6 for successfully blowing up of the Chevron Valve Platform. And we are ready to protect the Niger Delta people.

     ”This is what we promised the Nigeria Government that since they refused to listen to us, we are going to zero the economy of the country.

    “As for zeroing the Nigeria economy, we the Niger Delta Avengers are done with Delta State major oil installations. Now we are taking the fight out off the creeks to the Niger Delta. We are taking it to Abuja and Lagos now.

    “We want to pass this message to all international oil companies operating in the Niger Delta, that the Nigeria military can’t protect their facilities. They should talk to the Federal Government to meet our demands else more mishaps will befall their installations”, the statement said.

    An oil industry expert described the attack as a major setback for oil production and gas supply,   saying the facility is among the most significant platforms operated by Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL).

    A source said the bombing led to a massive leak. The nation’s crude oil output and gas supply to power generation companies would be greatly impacted because the subsequent repair would demand a shut-in for as long as the problem takes to fix.

    The source added that the platform is one of Chevron’s most strategic facilities, connecting to/from other platforms, including the company’s BOP and its tank farm.

    It was also gathered that damage had reduced gas production to 100 million cubic feet, meaning that what goes to power generation companies and other consumers has been reduced.

    Nigerian Navy Information Director Commodore Chris Ezekobe confirmed that the facility which is located at about four nautical miles off Escravos Bar, was blown on Wednesday.

    He said he was unaware that any group had claimed responsibility but added that there were no causalities.

    He said: “It is an offshore facility located four nautical miles off Escravos Bar. Crude oil from offshore is collected there. The facility’s ability to pump crude oil and gas to the main Chevron facility at Escravos has been degraded.

    “No one has claimed responsibility for the explosion that occurred on Wednesday and no casualty was reported.”

    Navy Commodore Ezekobe added:  “Like they blew up Chevron terminal in 2009. It happened about 40 nautical miles Escravos. Production has been cut short both in gas and crude oil. Gas production has reduced to 100 million cubic feet. We don’t know who is responsible. DNA can only be speculative. “

    Gas supply to power generating stations was severely reduced, thereby causing a sharp drop in electricity supply nationwide, following the bombing earlier in the year of the Forcados platform, which belongs to the Shell Producing Development Company (SPDC).

    Although the full import of the Escravos bombing has not been determined, Vice President Yemi Osibajo said after the damage of Shell’s Forcados export terminal pipeline and the vandalism of the Lagos Escravos pipeline in February that the sabotage resulted in the shortage of 3,132 megawatts (MW).

    Speaking during the ninth international conference of Nigeria Association of Energy Economics/International Association of Energy Economists (NAEE/IAEE) in Abuja, he said: “the incident on the pipelines has cut gas supply to power plants in the Western Axis, such as Egbin, Omotosho 1, Olorinsogo 1, Ughelli, Omotosho NIPP and Olorunsogo NIPP leading to 3,132MW being constrained.”

    Inadequate gas supply, blamed on vandalism of gas pipelines, has been the bane of the power sector. Power generation in the last one year has been so unstable, ranging from a high of 5,000Megawatts a few months ago to a low of about 1,455Megawatts.

    Generation levels of 2400megawatts and about 4,1050 have been variously recorded, but were never sustained due to unstable gas supply to the power generating plants.

    The Vice President travelled to Forcados to ginger up work on the platform. President Muhammadu Buhari declared that breaking of pipelines and oil platforms will henceforth be treated as economic sabotage.

    Speaking to Nigerians resident in China during his state visit, the President said: “The government is still being dared, but those who are sensible should have learnt a lesson. Those who are mad, let them continue in their madness

     ”I am aware that in the last two weeks, the national grid collapsed a number of times. I hope this message will reach the vandals and saboteurs who are blowing up pipelines and installations. We will deal with them the way we dealt with Boko Haram.”

    Mrs Adeosun debunked the claim that the Federal Government has no economic team. According to her, what is important is to work rather than talking. She said the team is headed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo with Ministers of Finance, Budget and Planning, Trade and Investment, Information, the Director-General of the Debt Management Office (DMO) as members.

  • Breaking news: Bomb blast in Borno Mosque

    Two female suicide bombers early Wednesday morning attacked a Mosque at Umari Village on the outskirts of Miduguri, Borno State capital.

    The bombers reportedly disguised to gain access among the male worshippers to avoid any suspicion.

    Twenty two persons have been reported dead at the spot of the blast according to a source in the area,

    The State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Victor Isuku confirmed the incident.

    ” I don’t have details of the casualty but I am driving to the scene now,” Isiaku said.

    A rescue official also put the casualty figure at 22 with about 30 injured.

     

  • Bomb scare in Minna Mosque

    There was panic at the Minna Central Mosque yesterday when a bag suspected to contain a bomb was discovered.

    The travelling bag which appeared new was found by Malam Awal Alhaji Galadima, the Chanchaga Local Government director of the First Aid Group, Fityanul Islam, without the owner in sight.

    Galadima asked passers-by to ascertain the owner of the bag but no one owned up. He thus used two scanners to scan the bag.

    The scanners emitted the danger sound when it came in contact with the bag, Galadima said, which prompted him to call the state director of the first aid group, Alhaji Abba Abdulwahab Suleiman.

    After his explanation, Alhaji Suleiman in turn alerted the Police Area Commander, who called in the crime unit to the scene and they also used scanners on the bag.

    The Anti-Bomb Squad was called in when scanners of the crime unit also emitted the danger sound when used on the bag.

    The area was condoned off as the Anti-bomb squad blew up the bag to a loud bang that created panic and caused the spread of bomb rumours.

    The police subsequently took the bag and its content away after the operation.

    Confirming the occurrence, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Bala Elkana, stated that the police received the report of a bag dumped at the mosque which was suspected to contain a bomb.

    He said that the bomb disposal unit blew up the bag and it was discovered that it contained personal effects.

  • Bomb kills policeman, injures three in Egpyt

    A roadside bomb went off Friday in Egypt’s volatile Sinai Peninsula killing a police officer and injuring three others, a security official said.

    The explosion occurred when a police armoured vehicle hit the bomb in al-Arish, the capital city of northern Sinai, the official added on condition of anonymity.

    No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.

    Meanwhile, explosives experts defused a bomb next to a hotel in the city of Giza, famed for the Pyramids, according to a report, no casualties were recorded in the attack.

    Both incidents occurred days after the start of two-round parliamentary elections, Egypt’s first since the army’s 2013 overthrow of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi.

    Egypt has since seen a surge in attacks mostly against security forces, mainly in Sinai where a group loyal to the Islamic State extremist militia had claimed most of the assaults.

    However, Egyptian authorities have blamed the violence on Morsi’s now-banned Muslim Brotherhood but the Islamist group denied the accusation, accusing the government of oppression.

  • FCT denies bomb blast rumour

    •NEMA, police: no explosion in Abuja 

    The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Administration has denied the rumour of another bomb blast, said to have occurred in Abuja on Saturday evening.

    The Permanent Secretary, FCT, John Chukwu, an engineer, described the rumour as unfounded, saying there was no explosion in Abuja.

    He urged residents to be calm and go about their businesses, as the police and other security agents had combed the area without any sign of an explosion.

    The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said yesterday that there was no bomb explosion on Saturday night in Karu, a satellite town in the Federal Capital Territory.

    The Abuja operations coordinator of NEMA, Mr. Ishaya Chonoko, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, said the blast heard in the area came from a quarry company, which operatedwithout the permission of the police.

    “I live in Karu, there was nothing like bomb blast in Karu; it was a quarry company that carried out that balst,” he said.

    The police command Abuja also debunked the news of the bomb explosion.

    Police spokesman Anjuguri Manzah told NAN that personnel of the command had gone round the area and found nothing like a bomb explosion.

  • Beware of Boko Haram packaged bombs, DHQ warns

    Members of the public should beware of the Boko Haram sect’s newly-devised lethal combination of packaged bombs, the Defence Headquarters has warned.

    Referring to some of such cluster bombs being recovered in Adamawa state by Nigerian Army Engineers, the Defence Headquarters stated that   some of such items packaged in pots or metal containers are aimed towards simultaneously wreaking havoc on many targets, such as columns of vehicles, marketplaces, places of worship or large concentration of troops.

    In a statement issued by the DHQ’s spokesman, Colonel Rabe Abubakar on Thursday, he emphasized the deceptive nature of the deadly bombs and urged citizens to report discovery of any such objects instead of going near it.

    “The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) wishes to inform Nigerians living in the North-East and any other parts of the country to keep a lookout for cluster bombs sometimes called ‘scatter bombs’ as the Nigerian Army Engineers serving in Adamawa State have recovered some caches of these bombs in the contested areas in recent time.

    “The military high command has discovered that the Boko Haram Terrorists (BHT) in the areas have used such lethal instruments over time to push their callous terrorist cause.

    “For easy identification, it is important to note that cluster bombs are bombs that house sub munitions, that is, smaller explosives contained in individual cases.

    “These bombs are used against large areas containing many targets, such as columns of vehicles, marketplaces, places of worship or large troop concentration as the case may be.

  • Breaking News: Twin bomb blasts in Abuja, scores dead, injured

    Boko Haram militants struck Friday night in Kuje and Nyanya parts of the Federal Capital Territory leaving many dead  and a some people injured.
    The death toll was put at about 20 but the military, security agencies and the National Emergency Management Agency( NEMA) were mopping up last night.
    Although NEMA confirmed that the explosions resulted in a number of deaths and injuries, it was silent on the toll.
    Armed soldiers have been drafted to the affected parts to curtail the insurgents.
    There was suspicion that the attacks were carried out in anger by the insurgents because some of their key commanders are being detained in Kuje Prison.
    According to eye witness account, the insurgents launched simultaneous attacks on the Police Station and the market in the town
    A resident said: “The militants struck at a busy spot near the Kuje Area Council Secretariat junction which also hosts a major bus stop in the town. They targeted crowded area because a mini-market is also being run in the area.
    “As at the time the bomb explosion occurred, there were many people in the affected spot.
    Another resident said: “The spontaneous attacks were launched on  Kuje at about 9.10pm. What they did was first of all to bomb the police station in Kuje to destabilize the police and other security agencies.
    “Shortly after the attack on the police, another bomb was detonated at a busy end near Kuje Area Council Secretariat.
    “The explosions shattered many buildings in Kuje. The General Hospital in the town was overstretched and  many ambulances were drafted to rescue victims.”
    A reliable source said: “The insurgents invaded and attacked the FCT from two major entry points. But the military and security agencies have moved in”.
    A statement by NEMA through its  Press Officer, Manzo Ezekiel, reads : “Following  the unfortunate explosions that occurred this night in Nyanya and Kuje, which are two satellite  towns in the Federal Capital Territory, the National Emergency Management Agency( NEMA) has deployed its rescue teams in the evacuation of the victims to various hospitals.
    “The explosions which occurred simultaneously have resulted in a number of deaths and injuries but the rescue operations coordinated by NEMA are still ongoing. Details would be made available later.”