Details of the twin bombings that occurred in Abuja on Friday night emerged, yesterday, with the Nigeria Police and the National Emergency Agency (NEMA) confirming that 18 persons died and 41 injured. The Kuje blast went off around 9. 40 pm while that of Nyanya detonated around 9. 35pm. The breakdown showed that 15 persons were killed in Kuje while three died in Nyanya.
Mr. Ishaya Chonoko, Abuja Zonal Coordinator of NEMA, disclosed the details in a statement.
The NEMA statement said, “After the evacuation of victims of the bomb blasts in satellite towns of Kuje and Nyanya to various hospitals in Abuja city, the Abuja Zonal Cordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Ishayah Chonoko, has confirmed that 59 people were affected.
“Three dead and 21 injured victims were recorded in the Nyanya incident, while 15 persons lost their lives in Kuje with 20 persons being treated for injury”.
According to the statement, the Director General of NEMA, Mohammed Sani-Sidi, who led some of the evacuations and visited victims in the hospitals, assured that government would foot the medical bill of the victims.
“He also reiterated the need for security consciousness among the citizens by reporting any suspicious objects and strange movement in their localities to security agencies.”
Impact
Two female suicide bombers were believed to be responsible for the bombings while a third bomber, a male, dropped the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) that had the greatest impact and killed 15 persons at the Zamfara Market, Kuje.
According to eye-witness accounts, the first female bomber (about 15years old), alighted from a motor-bike, aka Okada, in front of the Kuje Police Station around 9. 25 pm and made for the station. Seconds after the Okada that dropped her left, the bomb, apparently timed, was said to have exploded, killing the bomber.
15 minutes later, the male bomber, also on Okada, arrived the Zamfara Market, carrying a bag. He approached a roasted meat
(Suya) seller and asked if he could assist him with some money to enable him pay the Okada rider.
When the roasted meat seller told the bomber that he didn’t have money, the bomber reportedly dropped his bag and told the roasted meat seller to help him look after it while he asked someone else. Minutes after the bomber left, the bomb exploded, killing anybody close by.
According to the eyewitness, the roasted meat seller, a pregnant woman, a little child were among the casualties.
One of the eye witnesses disclosed that before help came from the police, NEMA, Fire Service, NSCDC , he, alongside some persons, stopped a good Samaritan who used his car to evacuate the injured to Kuje General Hospital four times, adding that he saw two persons die on the spot.
In the Nyanya incident, a female suicide bomber was said to have made attempt to scale the fence into the Nyanya Police Station when the bomb strapped to her body exploded, killing her and one person while 21 persons were injured.
No panicking – IGP
Meanwhile, the Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase, has asked residents of the FCT and the entire country not to panic as the police were prepared to secure lives and property. Arase, in a statement, yesterday, said: “Those that did these dastardly acts did so in shame of cowardice. No matter their aim, Nigeria will not accommodate terrorists’
Source:Vanguard
No comments:
Post a Comment