•The scene of the Kaduna explosions, with the bomber’s car still on fire...yesterday
A twin bomb explosion rocked Kaduna yesterday. One was targeted at a plaza housing the offices of three media houses.
Three people were killed in the 11:30a.m. attack on the media offices, which are on Kontagora Road in the heart of the North’s political capital.
The suicide bomber drove a Honda Academy car with registration number Al 306 MKA into the SOJ Plaza housing ThisDay, The Sun and The Moment. When the car failed to explode, he reportedly jumped out, shouting “bomb, bomb, bomb”!
Other newspaper offices around the vicinity, located a few metres away from the scene of the explosion, include The Nation, Peoples Daily, Sunlight (owned by the Taraba State Government), Daily Independent and the circulation office of Leadership.
Business premises within the area were immediately closed down as police cordoned off the scene. But they could not move into the building as angry youths threatened to burn down the building, which was the prime target of the attacker.
The youths took over the roads. The army and the police had a hectic time controlling the crowd. They resorted to firing into the air and flogging the youths before they could make way for the fire fighting vehicles to move into the building to put out the fire on the car.
The youths, who were apparently angry with the security men for not allowing them to lynch the suspected bomber, set fire to the car. Some of them threw stones at the building, breaking glasses.
The police teargassed the surging crowd of youths, who started confronting the security agents on Ahmadu Bello Way, forcing reporters and security personnel to disperse. Security agents made efforts to remove the vehicle from the premises.
It was learnt that 11 camp cylinders neatly wired together and connected to the steering of the Honda Academy car were found inside the vehicle when the police came to remove it from the premises.
It was gathered that when the vehicle rammed into the building and failed to explode, those who rushed in to help, thinking it was an accident, found three of the cylinders on the front seat of the car and promptly raised the alarm.
They forced the suspect out of the vehicle, ordering him to remove the bomb. He reportedly said in Hausa that if he removed it, it would explode.
He was forced to remove the bomb, which was apparently meant to ignite the cylinders and bring down the two storey building. He threw the bomb outside the building where it exploded, killing three people on the spot.
There were, however, two other minor explosions between 12.10 and 12.30 from the vehicle.
Ismail Omipidan, Head of Bureau of The Sun gave an account of the incident which also affected his office. He said: “I was driving to the office. Normally, I come through Katsina Road and enter the office through the back. But today, I just decided that I should pack my car along Ahmadu Bello Way.
“I was actually travelling out of town. When I came to the office, I saw a young man being beaten, and I saw my circulation man calling me. I also saw my landlord.
“ When I asked why they were beating him, I was told that the suspected bomber drove a Honda car into the premises, came out of the car and was shouting that a bomb would explode any moment, and the people held him and told him to go and remove the bomb.
“It was at this point that I called the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Aminu Lawan. I took a motorcycle to Magaji Garin Police Station. I told the police that people were beating up a young man close to my office, who is suspected to be a bomb carrier, and that they should go there on time.
“As I was coming with the police to the scene, the man was forced by the people to remove one of the bombs from the car, and as soon as he removed it, he threw it on the ground and it exploded immediately and three people died on the spot.
At that moment, the bomber disappeared. People started looking for him.
“Some people went into the building through the back door and they were able to get him. The police came and took him away. When police took him away, some youths started stoning the office.
“Out of anger, one of them decided to set the car ablaze.
“While the car was burning, we saw two gas cylinders, and by the time we moved away from there, one of the cylinders exploded.”
A Circulation Clerk with ThisDay, Monday Emmanuel, who was in the office at the time of the incident, said that the bomber parked the car, ran out and started shouting that the car would explode.
“It was around 11:00am when Shehu ran up to tell us that we should run. He said there was bomb within the premises and we should run. We initially thought he was joking, but we noticed that he was dead serious. We ran for dear lives. We left the premises before the bomb finally exploded.”
Commissioner of Police Mohammed Abubakar Jingiri, who visited the scene at about 12.35 pm, described the incident as “unfortunate”.
He praised the public for their vigilance and prompt response that helped the police arrest the prime suspect.
He said: “It is rather an unfortunate incident and we will want to first appreciate members of the public for their vigilance and for their prompt action. It was their vigilance and prompt action that really helped the situation and helped us get the principal suspect that is now with us, receiving treatment at the Police Clinic.
“I want to appreciate the members of the public and I want to call on them to continue to be vigilant in order to help the situation.
“We have commenced interrogation and from what we have got so far, he is a stranger from another state. I will not tell you the state. The situation is under control and you can see that we have pumped in a lot of security and the area has been cordoned off and you can see the Fire Service are busy working to put out the fire.
“So, we thank God Almighty for His blessings and wisdom and, also, appreciate the prompt attention of members of the press. I cannot precisely confirm to you that media houses are the prime target. What I can tell you is that for these dangerous elements, everybody is a target. The devastation is moderate. It is not as high as that of the Easter Sunday blast.”
There was another explosion in Ungwan Muazu in the Kaduna metropolis. Two people injured, The Nation learnt.
Although details of the explosion were sketchy last night, but sources said it came few hours after the explosion at the SOJ Building.
Police spokesman Aminu Lawan confirmed the blast. He declined comments.
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