Suicide Bomber Hits Army Barracks In Kaduna

Isah Ramat's picture
Wed, 08/02/2012 - 2:19am | ISAIAH BENJAMIN, MIDAT JOSEPH, SALISU IBRAHIM, and BAYO OLADEJI




Kaduna was yesterday thrown into confusion and panic when multiple bomb blasts rocked military formations and the flyover bridge at Kawo, leaving the bomber and two others dead. Scores were injured.
LEADERSHIP gathered the first blast occurred at the 1 Divisional Army Headquarters, Kaduna when a suicide bomber in a Siena car was heading towards the administrative block of the army base. It exploded shortly after passing through the security gate successfully on the way to the target point.
The impact of the explosion, according to an eyewitness, shook several buildings at the Army Headquarters and surrounding houses. Two military officers were said to have lost their lives while several others received various degrees of injuries.
Another bomb intended for the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) base exploded at the gate. An eyewitness told LEADERSHIP that the bomb was thrown from a moving vehicle.
According to Squadron Leader Kabiru Ali of the NAF base, “the bomb exploded outside the perimeter of the Air Force base. We are not going to investigate since we are not directly involved, and the police will carry the investigation.”
The third bomb planted under the flyover of Kawo exploded shattering the screens of moving vehicles, even as scores of passengers were injured. The impact, an according to eyewitness who prefers anonymity, shook the bridge and the road.
 “Oga, just some few minutes after we heard a loud sound at the army headquarters, this one under the bridge happened and the whole place was shaking,” he said.
Other bombs were detonated within and around the army base by a team of police anti-bomb squad. Some arrests were allegedly made.
Official vehicles of the State Emergency Management Agency SEMA, the Red Cross and other agencies were trooping to the scene to carry the victims to hospitals.
Most of the schools surrounding  the  places were closed down, as parents  quickly emerged to take their children  home.
Commercial activities were also paralyzed as financial institutions in the state capital immediately shut their gates shortly after the blast. All the major roads have been barricaded with armed soldiers and policemen checking all the vehicles that pass through.
When our correspondents visited the 44 Army Reference Hospital where the victims were taken to, the soldiers prevented them from having access to the victims.
The Boko Haram sect had threatened to attack Kaduna following the arrest of its spokesperson Abul Qaqa last week in Kaduna.
Heavily-armed, stern-looking soldiers barred journalists from getting to the scene of the incident at the Army headquarters, while those who attempted to get close had their cameras seized.
The bomb explosions forced Kawo market, schools, shops and other public places around the area to immediately close, while security men took over the streets, preventing vehicular and human movement that subsequently created heavy traffic and stampede around the Kawo area.
Incidentally, yesterday was the Kawo market day, popularly referred to as ‘TALATA’ market in Kaduna North local government area. It attracts a large number of buyers and sellers. The market was forced to a close as both buyers and sellers hurriedly packed their belongings and trekked long distances as the roads were immediately blocked by military people.    
Hoodlums and miscreants took advantage of the situation and looted shops and items of sellers and buyers at the market. The security men, however, helped to chase them away and brought the situation under control.
A Desmis Independent Television (DITV) camera man Ibrahim Gabia, narrowly escaped death when the bomb under the bridge exploded close to where he was trying to establish a shot of the first bomb that occurred at the 1 Divisional Army Headquarters.
Meanwhile, the soldiers on patrol at the scene of the incident forcefully collected the Cameras of LEADERSHIP reporter, AIT and KSTV reporters who were taking live pictures of the event.
As at the time of filing this report, the Cameras were still in the hands of the soldiers.
NO SOLDIER DIED DURING ATTACK – ARMY
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Army in a statement issued to newsmen entitled ‘Failed Suicide Attack on Headquarters, 1 Division, Nigerian Army’ by the assistant director, army public relations, Lieutenant Colonel Abubakar Edun, reads:
“At about 12.18pm on Tuesday, 7th February, 2012, a failed suicide bomb attempt was made on the headquarters complex of 1 division Nigerian Army, Kawo, Kaduna.
 “The two suicide bombers came in two vehicles, a Siena Toyota space bus and a Honda Accord. The drivers of the two vehicles over ran the security post and the lawn leading to the headquarters complex.
 “One of the vehicles (Toyota Siena Space bus) exploded by the car park directly in front of the headquarters when a soldier opened fire on the car after the attacker refused to stop which made him lose control of the vehicle.
 “The second vehicle which did not explode (Honda accord) was loaded with 10 numbers of 20 litres of improvised explosive dives (IEds), 4 number of 30 number loaded with IEDS and 2 numbers of large peak containers also loaded with IEDS.
 “The suicide bomber in the Siena space bus died in the attempt, while there was no casualty on the part of our own troops.”
NIGERIAN AIR FORCE BASE NOT AFFECTED
But the Nigerian Air Force has said that the bomb blasts in Kaduna did not affect the Nigerian Air Force Base and no casualty was recorded within its premises. In a Statement issued in Abuja yesterday and signed by Air Commodore Yusuf Anas, the Air Force said the incident took place about 500 meters away.
The statement reads in parts, this is to inform the general public that the Nigerian Air Force Base Kaduna was not affected by the bomb blast which occurred at about 1230hrs.
The bomb blast occurred about 500 meters from the Air Force Base outer perimeter fence along Mando Road, Kaduna. No casualty was recorded in the incident.
SECT APPOINTS 4 TO DIALOGUE WITH FG
Meanwhile, the Boko Haram sect has appointed four negotiators to negotiate with the federal government on its behalf.
Those named in a video during the NTA Network News were Sheikh Abubakar Gero, Dr.  Shettima Ali Mungono, former Governor of Yobe State, Alhaji Bukar Abba Ibrahim, and Barrister Aisha Alkali Wakil.
The tape which NTA claimed was delivered by an unidentified source, featured two figures, fully masked in black, only the voice of one was heard, while the other was silent
“We here confirm and accept the reported initiative of Mr. President for a dialogue as a welcome development”, the speaker who did not identify himself said.
According to him, the group trusts the named leaders and said “the decision taken by these people can actually change the whole situation.”
BOKO HARAM SUSPECTS KILLED IN KANO
Fresh facts emanating from the Kano Police Command yesterday indicated that scores of suspected Boko Haram members were killed by the Joint Task Force on Monday night during a renewed clash with the suspected members of the sect in Mariri town.
Mariri, which is about 15 km away from the metropolis, witnessed a long gun battle between the group and the JTF, as renewed fight between the sect members and the police in Sharada led to the destruction of a part of the police outpost. 
Residents of Mariri Quarters said that some unspecified number of persons were killed in the area during the encounter when the Joint Task Force raided the area in a measure aimed at unleashing offensive at the house of suspected members of the religious body.
Both the police and the soldiers, however, have denied recording any casualty in the encounter but the state’s commissioner of police, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, has confirmed that some explosives, 10 Ak 47 rifles, 26 magazines, 106 Live ammunition, and seven bags of fertilizer were discovered.
An eyewitness told our correspondent in Kano that the recovered weapons and the explosives were discovered in a grave dug by the suspects.
Army public relations officer Lt. Iweha Ikedichi told journalists that no soldier was killed and denied reports that army patrol vehicles were seen taking dead bodies to Muhammadu Abdullahi Wase Specialist Hospital. Officials of the hospital also refused to comment on the issue when approached.
At the Sharada police station, the gunmen were said to have hurled some explosives immediately they arrived at the area around 6pm leading to the burning of the entire police office. The attack, according to findings, lasted nearly an hour and an eyewitness said he saw three dead bodies in a drainage near the outpost while another witness said he saw an elderly person riding a motorbike who was shot in the head in the area.
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