10 Die In Kaduna Bomb Blast: 145 Worshippers Injured …It’s Cruel, Barbaric – Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan (middle) assisted by Rivers State Governor, Rt Hon Chibuike Amaechi (right) and the Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Rear Admiral John Jonah (rtd) in unveiling the crown at the coronation of His Royal Majesty, King Ebitimi Banigo, the Amanyanabo of Okpoama Kingdom, Bayelsa State, on Saturday.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), yesterday in Kaduna said ten persons lost their lives at the St. Rita’s Catholic Church suicide bomb attack at Kaduna.

A statement signed by NEMA’s Kaduna Zonal Public Relations Officer, Aliyu Muhammed, said that 145 others were injured in the attack.

It said that the corpses of the victims had been deposited at various hospitals in the city.

According to the statement, four of the corpses have been deposited at Barau Dikko Specialist Hospital, three at 44 Military Hospital, while one has been deposited at the Garkuwa Specialist Hospital.

The statement said that 81 injured persons were receiving treatment at Barau Dikko Specialist Hospital, while 35 others were being treated at 44 Military Hospital.

It said that 15 injured persons were also receiving treatment at St. Gerrad’s Hospital while five among them were under critical condition.

NEMA said this figure was as at 1:45pm on Sunday.

The blast occurred at about 8am.

Spokesman of NEMA, Yushau Shuaib, said the agency worked assiduously to save lives once it got information about the explosion.

Meanwhile, the Kaduna State Commissioner of Police, Olufemi Adenaike had in a telephone interview with newsmen earlier said that only three persons were killed with seven others injured.

Adenaike said that the victims included the lone bomber and two worshippers “a man and a woman”.

President Goodluck Jonathan has condemned yesterday’s suicide bomb attack on a Catholic Church in Kaduna, describing it as “barbaric, cruel and uncalled for’’.

This is contained in a statement issued yesterday by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati.

The President, according to the statement, expressed confidence that the war against terrorism would become more unrelenting, adding that as the nation would never give in to the forces of terror and retardation.

The President noted that the apparent objective of the criminal and unpatriotic elements and forces behind the attack was to set back the progress the administration had made in the fight against terrorism in the country.

“Our efforts to deal with all acts of terror and violence will only be redoubled even as the security agencies continue to receive all the support they need from government to reverse this unfortunate and unacceptable trend that threatens the peace and stability of our nation,” he said.

The President commiserated with the church, family and friends of the victims of the bombing.

He assured that government’s resolve to deal with the threat of terrorism remained strong.

In the same vein, the Kaduna State Government yesterday called for calm and urged the people to ignore rumours of reprisal attacks for the church bombing earlier in the day.

In a statement in Kaduna, the Senior Special Assistant (Media) to Governor Patrick Yakowa, Mr Reuben Buhari, said that anyone caught spreading such false information would be made to face the full wrath of the law.

However, there was no immediate claim of responsibility but the Islamist sect Boko Haram has claimed similar attacks in the past. It has attacked several churches as it has intensified its campaign against Christians in the past year.

A wall of the church was destroyed in the blast. Police later moved in and cordoned off the area.

Shortly after the explosion, Christian youths took to the streets armed with sticks and knives. A newsman reported seeing two bodies on the roadside lying in pools of blood.

Many residents rushed indoors, fearing a wave of the sectarian killing that has periodically hit Kaduna.

A bomb attack in a church in Kaduna State in June triggered a week of tit-for-tat violence during which at least 90 people were killed.

Meanwhile, Commuters in different areas of the Kaduna metropolis were on Sunday stranded, following the bombing of St. Rita’s Catholic Church in Angwar Yero, Bardarawa area of Malali, Kaduna, earlier in the day.

Many drivers of commercial vehicles scampered to bushes, parks and police stations, due to fear of reprisal attacks for the church attack.

Our correspondent  reports that commuters were seen in their hundreds trekking from Sabo market to Television Garage, while others trekked from Television Garage to Stadium Roundabout.

Besides, many people were seen trekking from Ahmadu Bello Way to Kawo and Kassuwa to Angwar-Rimi.

Some of the commuters,were seen soliciting the assistance of private motorists for ride to their various destinations, narrated their ordeal to newsmen.

Mrs Joy Onum, a resident of the Sabo neighbourhood, said that she and her three children trekked from NNPC Refinery Junction to Television Garage.

“My house at Gonigora is still faraway but we were coming from our church in Kamazoo; I pray we get home because the town is tense,’’ she said.

Onum, however, said that no commercial driver would be blamed for staying off the road, as the people had to play safe because of the fear of reprisal attacks.