As the casualty figure from the multiple explosions that rocked Kuje and Nyanya on Friday night in Abuja, scales up to 18, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has given what it calls an accurate detail of how the incident occurred.
The target of the suicide bombers was the Kuje police station, but one of the explosions occurred while the suicide bomber was climbing the fence of the station.
Senior Information Officer, NEMA, Mr. Sani Datti, said the information before him was that there were twin suicide bombs in each of the locations where the blasts occurred.
He said the first twin bomb blasts occurred at Nyanya while another set of twin bomb blasts by the suicide bombers occurred at Kuje.
According to him, the blasts in Nyanya occurred at almost the same place where the last bomb explosion happened in that area, but this time, there were two suicide bombers.
“Many people didn’t know that there were two suicide bombers and they both detonated their bombs,” he said of the Nyanya incident.
Concerning the Kuje incident, he said one of the bombs was detonated at the evening market in Kuje while the second one was detonated when the suicide bomber was attempting to climb the fence of the police station in Kuje.
“The casualty figure has risen to 18; it was 15 as of yesterday, but two victims of the Kuje blasts died today. One of those caught in the blast at Nyanya also died today at one of the hospitals. So three more deaths were recorded, bringing the total figure to 18.”
Earlier, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Babachir Lawal, had led a team of government officials to the scene of the incident as well as the Trauma Centre of the National Hospital, Abuja.
He told journalists after the visit that President Muhammadu Buhari directed them to go round and assess the damages arising from the bomb blast.
“The suicide bombers operated at three locations, Nyanya motor park, the Kuje Police Station and the Kuje market.
“The main purpose of our visit is to commiserate with those that have lost their loved ones, some of whom are going through identification process,” he said.
“Scores of people were injured at all three sites. Some were with minor injuries and were treated and discharged at the several hospitals.
“Those with serious injuries were brought to this Trauma Centre and they are receiving treatment. Of course, the level of treatment will be diverse because the injuries are different,” he added.
PDP, APC CONDEMN INCIDENT
The two major political parties in Nigeria, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Saturday condemned the incident. PDP described the act as barbaric and cowardly while the APC said the act would not deter Nigeria from seeing the end of insurgency in the country.
National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, in a statement, said his party was shocked by the news of the attacks in the two towns adding that the party was particularly pained that the senseless and wicked attacks came just 24 hours after the nation celebrated its 55th independence anniversary, when the citizens and their leaders renewed their faith in the oneness and progress of the nation.
Metuh said: “PDP deeply grieves for the continued acts of terrorism, especially in the northern parts of the country, where insurgents are still slaughtering innocent Nigerians almost by the day.
“Indeed, this is not the way to go. We can no longer afford to continue to have our people cut down and slaughtered. We all, as Nigerians, must therefore close ranks and present a common front in support of our government and security forces in the fight against terrorism in our country.
“It is on this note that we restate our support for each and every policy undertaken by the Government of President Muhammadu Buhari aimed at ending insurgency and checking criminal activities in our nation.
PDP urged government officials to talk less and pay more attention to issues of intelligence gathering and ensure social and direct military actions against terrorism.
To Nigerians, the party advised on vigilance and prayers for the security forces as they risk their lives to ensure the safety of the citizens.
Metuh also condoled with families of those who lost their lives in the attacks and prayed to God to give them the fortitude to bear the loss.
On its part, the APC strongly condemned the bomb attacks and warned that no amount of cowardly attacks will save the Boko Haram terrorists from imminent defeat.
In a statement issued in Lagos on Saturday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the attacks, as well as other recent ones, are part of the cowardly tactics of the terrorists to focus on soft targets, after the military has succeeded in putting them on the run.
Mohammed said the avowed determination of the Buhari Administration to crush Boko Haram, which has seen the military recording a string of successes against the terrorists, will not be weakened by these dastardly acts that are nothing but the last kicks of a dying monster.
He appealed to Nigerians to be vigilant since Boko Haram members who have been smoked out of their strongholds may be seeking refuge elsewhere across the country.
The party condoled with the families of those who were killed in the latest Abuja attacks, and wished those who were injured a speedy recovery.