Bombings in the North Escalate as 30 are Killed in Kaduna, Borno

There appears to be no end in sight to the guerilla warfare in Northern Nigeria, as no fewer than 25 people lost their lives while 32 others sustained injuries when a bomb was detonated in Zaria, Kaduna State yesterday.

The bomb attack, which was blamed on Boko Haram insurgents, preceded a suicide bombing in a village in Damboa Local Government Area in Borno State yesterday, leading to the death of five persons including the bomber.

The Zaria bombing was said to have exploded at about 9.45 am at the secretariat of Sabon Gari Local Government Area, where hundreds of people had gathered for the workers verification exercise being embarked upon by the state government.

Eyewitness said the bomb exploded in the middle of the crowd that had gathered at the council secretariat for the exercise.

Abdullahi Aliyu, who said he narrowly escape death, explained that the crowd was so large that it was difficult to say how the bomb was detonated.

“It exploded in the middle of the crowd, I am not in a position to say whether it was a suicide bomber or the bomb was planted there. It just exploded and the whole place was thrown into confusion as people started scampering for safety,” he said.

The Kaduna State Government, in a statement, condemned the incident describing it as wicked and evil.

 The statement which was signed by the spokesman to the governor, Mr. Samuel Aruwan confirmed that 25 people were killed by the blast while 32 others were wounded.

“The city of Zaria today suffered a terrible act of infamy. Terrorists detonated explosives that killed and injured several persons at the secretariat of the Sabon-Gari Local Government Council.

“The casualty count as at 12 noon is 25 fatalities, including a two-year old child. Thirty-two injured persons are being treated at the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Shika and other hospitals in the city.

“The blast went off as the residents welcomed the new chairman of the interim management committee of the local government to his office at the secretariat.

“Some local government staff from Lere and Ikara were also undergoing biometric verification at the venue.

“The Kaduna State Government has expressed its sadness at this mindless attack on our citizens. It has condoled with the victims and is coordinating the treatment of the survivors,” the statement said.

Also Governor Nasir El-Rufai, who visited the scene of the incident, expressed sympathy with the victims and relations of those who died and prayed Allah to grant the souls of the deceased victims peaceful repose.

The governor called on citizens of the state to be very vigilant and report suspicious characters to community leaders and security agents.

The governor also announced that extra security personnel were being deployed across the state and urged the people of the state to shun large gatherings, adding, “Where that is impossible, people should exercise and practice maximum vigilance and vigorous checks on persons, vehicles and luggage.”

In order to enhance public security, the state government yesterday also announced the banning of street begging and hawking.

The state government in a statement by Aruwan said: “All beggars and hawkers are to stay off the streets until further notice. Any beggar or hawker found on the streets will be arrested, until these measures are relaxed.”
The government further reiterated the ban on commercial motorcycles, popularly known as Okada, warning that the law will be strictly enforced.
In a statement on the Zaria blast, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) stated that 26 lives were lost while 32 others were injured in the explosion that occurred at the premises of Sabon Gari Local Government secretariat.

In a statement issued by a press officer in the agency, Mr. Manzo Ezekiel, NEMA urged members of the public to help donate blood for the treatment of the Zaria bomb blast victims.

The agency said the request was an urgent one in order to help save the lives of the victims who had lost considerable blood in the attack.

It commended those who undertook rescue operations for the quick response in the evacuation of the victims and pledged the immediate support of NEMA in the deployment of medical consummables and drugs for their treatment in the hospital.

In another incident, a female suicide bomber yesterday detonated an explosive device at a military checkpoint in Borno village, killing four persons including two member of the youth vigilante group on duty.

A member of the youth vigilante group, Kaka Abdul who spoke to THISDAY on the phone, said that the lone female suicide bomber alighted at military checkpoint in the remote village of Sabon Gari in Damboa Local Government Area of Borno State, killings herself and four others.

Abdul said the loud explosion also resulted in many other persons sustaining injuries.

He said among the four innocent persons killed were two members of the youth vigilante group.

“At about 10.30 am today (Tuesday), a female bomber who was strapped with an explosive device on her body detonated her bomb at a checkpoint, killing four including two members of Civilian JTF and injured many others,” he said.

Sabon Gari, a community in Damboa in the southern part of Borno, is about 120 kilometres from Maiduguri, the state capital. 

In recent weeks, Boko Haram members have intensified attacks across the North. It is estimated that more than 650 civilians have been killed since May 29 when President Muhammadu Buhari, whose campaign was anchored on ending the terror attacks, was sworn-in. 

Meanwhile, the federal government has ordered a military-led onslaught against the cattle rustlers and bandits causing havoc in some parts of the northern part of the country.

This is the outcome of the closed-door meeting between the eight governors of North-west and North-central states, security chiefs and other government representatives yesterday at the Ministry of Defence, Abuja.

The meeting, which was called at the instance of the president to discuss the deteriorating security situation in the affected region, had the Governors of Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi, Nasarawa, Niger, Benue and Plateau States in attendance, while that of Zamfara state was represented by the deputy governor.

Speaking after the meeting, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HoS) Danladi Kifasi, who coordinated it on behalf of Buhari, assured his audience that the state of insecurity in the northern part of the country, especially cattle rustling would be a thing of the past.

Kifasi expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the meeting, saying that the modalities being put in place and championed by the military, would help to bring sustainable peace to the region.

“I am quite satisfied with the outcome of the meeting. Obviously, for security reasons, we cannot discuss operational matters live on television.

“Farmers, people who have cattle can be rest assured that cattle rustlers would be a thing of the past,” he said.

 When asked if the military would be actively involved and lead the operations, he said: “It is obvious, it should be obvious that the military will lead the operation.”

Prior to the meeting, the HoS disclosed that it was the Governor of Kaduna State, who asked for the presidential intervention to address the security situation in the region.

Kifasi revealed that Buhari, acting on that request, called for an expanded meeting of the governors of the contiguous states in order to arrive at a more sustainable solution to the issue of ethnic killings, cattle rustlings and farmers-herdsmen conflicts.

He said: “The meeting was at the instance of President Muhammadu Buhari. He mandated me to call all of you, following a request by the governor of kaduna State, in order to review, discuss and come up with modalities leading to the effective tackling of the current security concerns affecting Kaduna State and its neighbouring Katsina, Zamfara and Kebbi in the North-west, as well as Plateau, Benue, Niger and Nassarawa States in the North-central region.

“The essence of having you here is to get first hand information as well as your views about the activities of these bandits and the way forward. While the Chief of Defence Staff, the service chiefs, the Inspector General of Police (IG), the Director General of the State Security Service (SSS), Commandant-General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), will share their ideas about tackling the challenge.”

El-Rufai, who spoke on behalf of the governors, said that the security operations would be expanded to focus on the forest areas where the notorious rustlers and bandits operate from.

He said, the governors of some selected states in the northern part of Nigeria came here to meet with the service chiefs to discuss issues of common security interest to all the states.

“This discussion has started in Kaduna where we are looking at areas, forests that have become a source of banditry in our states, and this has been expanded to look at other forests in the North-central Nigeria that have also been a source of banditry and criminality.

“We are discussing with the Ministry of Defence, the Inspector General of Police, the Commandant of the NSCDC. It is an operation to address that,” he added.

El-Rufai confirmed that they had “made substantial progress but the details would be announced at the right time by those in charge of the operations”.

According to him, the governors of each of the states affected by this operation have in place, post-operations plan including dealing with internally displaced people and activating the State Emergency Management Agencies to deal with any emergencies, as well as ensuring the presence of law enforcement in the forests or around them so that thhe civil population would continue live in peace.

“So we have a comprehensive strategy, not only on the military operations but also how to ensure that there is peace and security, post operations,” he said.

Others than the governors and service chiefs, others at the meeting were the permanent secretaries of the Ministries of Defence, Finance and Federal Capital Territory (FCT).