If there was ever any doubt regarding God’s divine intervention in saving lives from the series of attacks perpetrated by the Boko Haram insurgents, recent incidents in Gombe would clear all that.
With two explosions in a space of 12 hours, it was obvious the insurgents planned to inflict pain, agony and sorrow on Nigerians in Gombe instead of the usual fanfare and merrymaking that normally accompany the New Year celebration. But divine intervention averted all that.
It all started from the Army Barracks on the eve of the New Year. People were at the supposed safe haven relaxing after the hard day’s work, full of joy for seeing the last day of the year when the unexpected happened.
“It was a big bang that got everybody confused and jittery. Some people were even trying to force themselves under tables, into kitchens and out through the doors. I thank God that nothing happened to me,” said one of the people who were drinking at the Mami Market.
One of those that witnessed the incident, a lady who simply identified herself as Becky, said: “I was preparing to go to the church but I wanted to eat fish before it was time for service. So I called my friend and we went to Barracks.
“While approaching the gate, we saw some soldiers talking to a man in his car, but we were not close enough to hear what they were discussing.
“As they were doing that, a motorcycle arrived with the passenger carrying a bag and stopped behind the car, and we thought they were probably waiting to be searched.
“We were not fully concentrated on the scene that was playing out before us because we didn’t have cause to suspect anything. But all of a sudden, we heard a loud noise and fled in different directions. I did not know if anybody died or not.”
But one gallant soldier is the reason a lot of people are happy the situation was not worse than experienced. Two bombers as gathered from a military source, arrived at the gate and attempted to ride their motorcycle straight into the barracks without observing the normal protocol of alighting for screening before pushing the bike in. They were stopped by the military personnel for questioning and the passengers quickly alighted. They were still talking when the bomb went off. By then, his cohort had hidden his bag nearby with the belief that it would detonate when onlookers would have gathered.
Interestingly, there was nobody nearby when it eventually detonated. Perhaps people were too scared of the bomb blast in itself or were scared of coming nearer because of the heavy presence of the army. It was only the bomber and the unsuspecting army personnel that died.
The entire Mami Market was immediately sealed off. Nobody went in or out, and those trapped within were released about two hours later after a thorough search. That was around 10 pm.
But determined to see the innocent suffer, the unrelenting insurgents took their forays to the church on New Year morning in yet another failed expedition that killed only the intended bomber.
It happened at about 8:28 am behind Gombe State University in an enclave that has three churches – Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) Tudun-Wada, ECWA Gospel and Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN). Call it ill-timing or whatever, the man could not get into the church.
He was stopped by members of the Boys Brigade who normally arrive the on time to ensure the environment is safe for worshippers. It was said that he tried to waltz through the barricade in total disregard to efforts to stop him when the bomb exploded.
However, Agabus Dawina, one of the Boys Brigade members on guard, explained that the bomber, who rode in from Mala-Inna end on a TVS motorcycle and stopped at the barricade where the BB boys were waiting to search anyone headed for any of the churches.
He said on arrival, the young man simply greeted asalamuailakum (peace be unto you all), and the next thing they would hear before answering was a deafening explosion that knocked them all off their feet. But what was left of the bomber was his mangled remains from his chest upward and his machine.
He said: “I thank God for my life because the enemy wanted to ruin my plans but failed. I plan to get married this year, precisely between September 28 and October 1. This is a sign that nothing will stop my plans and I can’t wait for that time to come.”
Lami Demba, his fiancée, who was preparing food to take to Agabus and his colleagues on duty, said she collapsed and passed out on receiving the news of the incident.
“I can’t imagine what I would have done if he had died. But thank God he is alive and will soon be discharged from the hospital,” she said, urging the people that are alive today to spend their time in the service of God as being alive is by His grace.
Also celebrating his life is Phanuel Ezra. He was discharged because he did not sustain much injury, except that his eyes were still red. He corroborated all that Agabus said and added that the bomber approached them like a gentle man and dis not look suspicious in any way. He therefore warned that nobody should be trusted until the person is proven to be worthy of it.
The one who received the most impact of the bomb is Bulus Bulama. Although he is a member of the Boys Brigade, he was not on duty at the time because his uniforms were dirty. He was operated upon to remove a sharp nail from his body, said the Chief Medical Director of Gombe Specialist Hospital, Gombe
The assailant was behind him as he watched his colleagues search his younger brother. He said he found himself rolling on the ground when the bomb exploded. But in his pain, he still tried to rescue a boy about three years old who was equally in pain.
“But when I was loosing strength with blood gushing out of my body, I had to drop the boy. But my worry now is that I don’t know whether the boy died or survived,” he said on his hospital bed.
He added that all the time he cried for help; people were running away from hm. Only one girl was bold enough to take the initiative to help. He said he gave her his phone to call his brother but she could not dial the number.
“Before that time, someone made away with my friend’s phone which fell out of my pocket,” he added.
The barricade where the incident took place was directly at the front of one Aminu Abdullahi who claimed to have heard the noise of the blast from inside. In his testimony, he said: “What I saw was horrible. It was human parts scattered all around; only from the chest up. The bike he (bomber) came with was destroyed. People sustained injuries. It is not something I want to remember at all.”
Confirming the incident, the spokesman for Gombe State Police Command, DSP Fwaje Atajiri, said he could not comment on the barracks incident for obvious reasons.
But he said that of ECWA III involved a young man who tried to jump a security barricade when the bomb exploded on him. He added that only the bomber died and that the few people at the scene sustained various forms of injuries.
The PPRO further confirmed that the bomber was probably not a Nigerian because his facial mark was strange. He therefore urged members of the public to always report on suspicious individuals and movements to enable the police act promptly.
The Chief Medical Director of Gombe Specialist Hospital, Reuben Ardo, said 10 victims, including a corpse, were brought to the hospital.
He said five of them were treated and discharged while one of the remaining five was discharged yesterday morning. “One of the remaining four went through surgery for the removal of sharp nails. They are still at the ward and are in stable condition. They will be discharged as soon as their conditions improve,” he said.
