After enjoying relative peace for some time, the ancient city of Kano was in shock penultimate Wednesday as terrorists invaded the Federal College of Education, killing no fewer than 15 students and leaving no fewer than 34 others in critical conditions. The dreams of the deceased students were cut short, while their parents and guardians were subjected to agony, just as the injured ones wreathe in pains in various hospitals in the ancient city.
Reliving the incident during our correspondent’s visit to one of the hospitals where the injured victims were being treated, a 12-year-old sachet water vendor, Abdul Nasir, said he was hawking water within the premises of the school, when he heard the sound of an explosion.
Nasir, a Primary Five pupil, said: “I was in the school selling pure water when I suddenly heard a bang. It was very loud and then there shootings and people in front of me were being killed. I kept running until I managed to climb a tree and hid myself in its branches.
“I later came down with some injuries. That was why they brought me to the hospital. I am a primary five pupil. I went there to hawk because we are on holiday.”
Narrating his miraculous escape from the attack, a History lecturer at the institution, Chief Ojimba Chinyeremaka, said he elected to speak on the issue as a way of glorifying God and testifying to His goodness. He said: “God in His infinite mercy did a miraculous thing for me, my family, friends and relations. Let me make it clear that I am not speaking to journalists for political reasons. I say this because I don’t want people to misconstrue my intention.
“I did not have lectures on that day; but I went to school to do other academic works. I felt it was around 1:15 pm when it happened at the New Site where I was. I heard the noise of students. I took time to listen and the noise was unusual and persistent. I came out to inquire what was actually happening and then, I saw people, students, lecturers and other people I could not identify running helter-skelter.
“Deafening sounds of blasts and gunshots rent the air. I joined the race in order to save my life. Gunmen were firing sporadically, and from the storey building where I was, I held a pillar and started rolling down. Other people joined me on the same pillar and there was a crash as heaps of human beings fell on me. It was at this point that I sustained a first degree injury on my right leg. My right leg got broken because I was trapped.
“I begged for help but where could my help come from? Who would help me when everybody was running for dear life? At this point, I saw a gunman stoutly built coming heavily on me. He was at close range.
“Miraculously, God gave me the wisdom to apply self-defence mechanisms. At that point, I fell down and started jacking as if I was dying, pumping out all the saliva in me so that my mouth was foaming. Seeing the heavily built gunman beside me, I bent my neck and he felt I was dead. But even at that, he was not satisfied seeing a supposedly dead man with a heavy wound on his leg. He targeted my left leg and fired two shots at it. Miraculously, the shots missed their target.
“Let me reiterate that the wound I sustained on my right leg was not as a result of gunshots from the deadly terrorists but a result of the stampede as we were all struggling to roll down the pillar from the upstairs.
“I was left alone in the struggle to survive, because every other person left the place. I was there until one of the campus security men came and took me near a classroom. He also felt jittery and left. I crawled into a classroom and hid myself behind the door until some soldiers and policemen came to my rescue.”
As our correspondent left Chief Ojimba’s place, he made straight to the headquarters of Deeper Life Bible Church on Egbe Road where some Christian brethren gathered for the wake of one of their own, a District Pastor of Deeper Life Church in Kano, Dr. Thomas Kayode Ajamu (59), a native of Ogbomosho in Oyo State who was shot dead by the terrorists.
Until his death, Dr. Ajamu was the Head of Department of Christian Religious Studies at FEC, Kano. The hundreds of Christian worshippers who gathered for the wake, described the late Ajamu as a peaceful, God-fearing, humble, easy-going, respectful and down-to-earth man.
Another victim and student of the institution, 35-year-old Mohammed Kawu, said he was in the lecture hall with other classmates when an unknown face made an attempt to enter the hall but the security men on duty insisted that he must be screened. He went berserk and started shooting sporadically.
“I am a student in the Department of Arts and Language. We were receiving lectures in the Philosophy of Science when the intruder pulled out a gun and started shooting in an uncontrolled manner.”
Kawu, an indigene of Hadejia in Jigawa State, who suffered a gunshot in the thigh, recalled that three of his colleagues were shot dead, while another one passed away while receiving medical attention at the Muritala Mohammed Specialist Hospital.
Mubarak Ado, a 23-year-old student of the institution, recalled that the incident occurred at about 1: 45 “as lectures were on and we were all seated in the lecture theatre. Then we heard a loud explosion. The explosion was followed by gunshots. We all began to run for safety. In the process, I sustained a fracture.”
A survivor, Mojeeb Mohammed, who gave an insight into how he escaped from the terrorist attack, said it was a miracle. He noted that there was a twin explosion, which was accompanied by gunshots within the school premises.
He said: “Lectures were going on when the explosion happened. We started scampering into safety. I managed to run for my dear life. I scaled the high fence around the school and it was after I got home that I realised that I left my motorcycle behind.”
Hundreds of motorcycles were abandoned in the school premises. So also were cars. Our checks revealed that among the dead was a head of department, Dr T.K. Adamu, and a senior lecturer whose identity could not be ascertained.
The Kano State Commissioner of Police, Mr Aderenle Shinaba, who also visited the scene on the day of the attack, confirmed that 15 students were killed, while 34 others were seriously injured.
According to him, at about 1:30 pm on that day, some unidentified people climbed the fence of the Federal College of Education, Kano, and jumped into the premises, where they started shooting sporadically to scare the students. Eventually, he said, one of the two suicide bombers gained entry into one of the classrooms and set himself ablaze, killing 15 of the students and injuring 34 of them.
Shinaba said the other suicide bomber went to an open space where he set himself ablaze. Fortunately, most of the students had run away and the suicide bomber only killed himself. He said that two AK 47 rifles were recovered from the scene.
A Federal Government delegation, led by the Minister of Education, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, noted that there was need for a renewed strategy in the effort to curb the untimely death of innocent students who he described as the leaders of tomorrow .
His words: “It is unfortunate that the trend we are experiencing is that institutions of learning are being targeted. It is most unfortunate and I am sure that all of us, federal, state and security agents are all concerned. We have put our hands on deck to ensure maximum safety of lives and property in our institutions.
“We see this trend as another challenge to whoever is concerned to further go back to the drawing board to ensure additional strategies to detect evil doers and protect the lives and property of the young ones in our institutions.
“We were here this morning on the delegation of the Federal Government and President Goodluck Jonathan to extend our sympathy and condolences to the families, staff and management of this institution for losing numerous innocent students to the attack of insurgents.
“We also sympathise with the wounded ones who are currently receiving treatment at various hospitals, and the entire community which has been seriously traumatised by this incident. However, it is our prayers that Allah in His infinite mercies grant the souls of the departed ones peaceful rest and grant their families, friends, associates and entire community of this college the strength and fortitude to bear this great loss.
“We also pray that He gives strength to those that are wounded in the attack, May Allah continue to protect our community, May He protect the lives and property of the entire citizens.“
Mallam Shekarau told reporters that security of lives and property is not a one-sector affair. “It is the business of everybody from the Federal Government to the state and local governments and the communities. Everybody must be concerned.”
