News
Sunday Night Blasts Leave Scores Dead In Jos …As Suicide Attack In Church Claims Six …Gunmen Kill 30 In Zamfara
L-R: Chairman, Police Service Commission (PSC), Sir Mike Okiro, Commissioner for Media, South-East Zone, Dame Comfort Obi and Commisioner for Women Affairs, Hajia Aisha Tukur, at a news conference on the alleged N275 million Election Monitoring Fund’s fraud rocking the PSC, in Abuja, recently.
Scores of people were believed to have lost their lives as two suicide bombers detonated their bombs in Jos, the Plateau State capital last night.
Details of the blasts are sketchy as of the time of this report.
Our correspondent gathered that the first bomb went off at a restaurant opposite the Bauchi road campus of the University of Jos at about 9.15pm, while the second one exploded at a mosque near Yan Tyre (tyre market) area of Dilimi Junction, along the same Bauchi road about 15 minutes later.
While the casualty figure from the first blast was given by an eyewitness as 15, the figure from the second blast at the mosque could not be ascertained.
The latest incident occurred less than five months after a similar bomb was detonated where the first bomb went off.
It was learnt that while the first bomb might have been detonated by a suicide bomber as it happened inside a restaurant, the insurgent might have used a rocket launcher to attack the mosque.
According to an eyewitness, the front of the mosque is usually crowded as it serves as the location where the leader of the Izalla sect, Sheikh YahayaJingir, normally performs the tafsir (breaking of fast).
The insurgents were said to have targeted worshippers who usually stay around after the breaking of fast.
The insurgents were said to have started shooting sporadically to beat a barricade mounted by security men in front of the mosque before launching the attack.
The eyewitness said, “We have counted 15 bodies that died instantly from the first blast. We are now moving to the scene of the second one at the mosque. But the soldiers are asking us to go back because the casualty is high.”
Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Emmanuel Abuh, who confirmed the twin blast, said men of the anti-bomb squad had been dispatched to the area.
He explained that the exact casualty figure and the extent of damage could not be ascertained until the men cleared the area.
Abua added, “It is too early to give any figure. We have dispatched our men there and we are expecting feedback from them.”
Meanwhile, the Police in Yobe State yesterday confirmed the killing of six persons in a suicide bomb attack on a church in Potiskum.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the state command, Mr. Toyin Gbedegesin told newsmen in Damaturu that the death included the suicide bomber.
The spokesman said: “A male suicide bomber detonated a bomb at Redeem Church at Jigawa area of Potiskum, killing five on the spot.
“A female member of the church, who sustained injuries, also died while receiving treatment in the hospital.’’
He said the injured are receiving treatment at various health facilities in the area.
it would be recalled that Potiskum last suffered a twin suicide attack on June 15, in which 10 people were killed and several others injured.
Similarly, no fewer than 30 persons have been reported dead following fresh attacks by gunmen in Birnin-Magaji local government area of Zamfara.
Chairman of the council, Alhaji Muhammad Gusami told newsmen yesterday that the attacks took place in Kokeya and Chigama villages in the area.
Gusami said the gunmen invaded Kokeya village with motorcycles and killed two persons, set some houses ablaze and carted away animals mostly cows.
He said that the “unfortunate incident’’ had been reported to the Divisional Police Officer of Birnin-Magaji as well as soldiers on surveillance of the zone.
According to him, while this is going on, the attackers returned the next day and invaded the neighbouring village of Chigama.
“‘The gunmen, however, killed more than 30 persons whose bodies were still being recovered from the bush,’’ he said.
The chairman said the corpses have been taken to Birnin-magaji General Hospital.
He said the Chigama attack took place shortly after three police trucks just left the area when they noticed that peace had returned to the area.
He added that the armed bandits also set several houses on fire on their second attack on Chigama village.
An eye-witness,Malam Ibrahim Sani also told newsmen that the gunmen who invaded Kokeya came while the villagers were closing from their prayers.
“The state attackers shot sporadically in the air which prompted the people of Chigama to intervene.
“That may have provoked the gunmen to come back so as to punish Chigama people for trying to prevent the attack the previous day.
“While three persons were killed from Kokeya and Chigama on the first day in Kokeya, more than 50 were killed on the second day in Chigama while several houses were burnt,’’ said Sani.
The Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Sanusi Amiru, who confirmed the attack, said that the police and army have moved to the area and normalcy had been restored.
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