Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso
A suicide bomber blew himself up alongside seven others Monday afternoon, while 12 others sustained life-threatening injuries at the Kano School of Hygiene Technology located along Bayero University, Kano Road, Kano.
The victims of the afternoon blast were new intakes of the school undergoing a screening exercise.
Briefing reporters at the scene of the bombing, the Kano Commissioner of Police, Adelenre Shinaba, revealed that eight vehicles parked within the premises of the state owned tertiary institution were damaged.
“There was an explosion in the school this afternoon by 1505 hours and it happened right inside the school premises. That is why we had to move in and I want to confirm to you that 20 people were taken to the hospital but eight were confirmed dead and 12 injured,” he said.
Shinaba stated that the incident occurred at 3.05 pm when the new students of the college were undergoing screening at the school.
He also disclosed that a suspect was apprehended at the scene but ruled out a car bombing in this latest attack.
Shinaba said: “Every lead seems to point at a suicide bombing. Unlike our previous experience, none of the vehicles parked inside this school caught fire and there is no hole around to suggest a car bombing but all leads are still open for investigation.”
The commissioner explained that the vehicle used by the suspect had been towed to the police headquarters in the city, adding that the lifeless bodies of the affected students had been deposited at the morgue, while the injured were receiving treatment at an undisclosed government hospital.
However, sources at the school told THISDAY that 15 people were killed by the blast and far more than 12 people sustained injuries.
The explosion triggered pandemonium in the neighbourhood, while security agents who arrived the scene on time cordoned off the busy highway, which led to a traffic snarl.
When THISDAY visited the scene of the explosion, it was littered with shattered windscreen and splattered blood.
The Public Relations Officer of the school, Malam Muhammad, revealed that mangled bodies of victims were recovered from the scene, adding, “It was a terrible sight to behold when we came to the rescue.”
He stated that the school was conducting a screening exercise for new intakes when the suicide bomber penetrated the orderly queue and blew himself up.
A student of the school, Aishatu Musa, who escaped unhurt, told THISDAY that she narrowly escaped the blast because she had stepped out of the premises before it occurred.
“I heard a loud blast behind me. I saw people running from inside and I also fled before we were told that it was bomb blast,” she said.
Musa said she was lucky to have escaped the suicide bomb attack, having gone to the school to collect her admission letter for a Higher National Diploma programme but was told that the person to give her the letter was not available, hence her decision to leave the premises.
Reacting to the suicide bombing, the federal government yesterday expressed sadness over the continuous terror attacks in the country, describing it as senseless and inhuman.
The government also said its findings on the 486 travellers intercepted last week in Abia State would shock Nigerians.
Coordinator of the National Briefing Centre on Terrorism and Director General of National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mr. Mike Omeri, while announcing the explosion, which rocked the Kano State School of Hygiene, said the perennial bombings had not benefitted anyone.
“Government expresses its displeasure over these continuing acts of senseless killings of innocent persons which has yet to benefit anyone,” he said.
He said eight people were confirmed dead as a result of the blast and that the wounded persons were receiving treatment.
Omeri said the government would not relent in its efforts to secure Nigerians despite the campaign of terror.
He disclosed that security personnel in Malamfatori, Borno State, had recovered uniforms and the protective gear of security personnel from terrorists who fled to Niger Republic.
“At Malamfatori in Borno State, security personnel in pursuit of a band of terrorists, who attacked a police station, recovered the stolen vehicles which were abandoned when they fled to Niger Republic.
“Other items recovered included uniforms of security personnel as well as protective gear, boots and other goods stolen from various locations in Nigeria,” Omeri stated.
He also said two men – Sani Sule and Idris Rume – who were found loitering around Aba Prison were arrested by officers of the Nigerian Prison Services and handed over to troops in the state.
Omeri further stated that a kidnapping syndicate operating in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was being investigated.
Although Omeri did not give details of the findings on the 486 young men of northern extraction detained in Abia, he said investigations were ongoing and the revelations would be made public in due course.
Also reacting to the Kano suicide bombing, the Kano State Governor, Alhaji Rabiu Kwankwaso, yesterday described the explosion at the School of Hygiene as very unfortunate, even as he commended the security agents for arresting one of the suspects at the scene of the attack.
He stated this when he paid a visit to the scene of the blast where he was received by the principal of the school, Commissioner of Police and the state Director of State Security Services immediately after visiting those injured in the blast at Murtala Mohammed Specialists Hospital.
The governor called on the security agencies in the state to continue working with the state government to make the state free from attacks and any form of criminality, pointing out that what happened in the school was “unthinkable considering the fact that the victims were only seeking for admission into an institution that will train them in offering humanitarian services for the betterment of the society”.
He appealed to the people in the state to be vigilant in their places of work, businesses and wherever they find themselves, adding that they should report any suspicious movement to the nearest security agencies in order to prevent the loss of lives and property of innocent people.
He urged the security men at the gate to monitor the entrance with vigilance and screen those that come to the school as doing so could help detect criminal elements.
0 comments:
Post a Comment