ThisDay: we won’t be deterred

By Our Reporter

 

Sympathisers in front of This Day’s office in Abuja...yesterday

ThisDay issued a statement last night on the attacks. The statement, signed by Managing Director Eniola Bello, entitled: “Simultaneous attack on ThisDay Abuja, Kaduna offices…an attck on journalism and free speech”,  reads: “At about 11:05 am today, a suicide bomber drove an SUV into the premises of our Abuja office, rammed his vehicle into the building housing our printing presses, igniting a massive explosion and fuelling speculations it was a suicide bomber. About the same time, our Abuja office was under siege, the building housing our office, along with two other newspapers’ in Kaduna, came under another bomb attack.

“In Abuja, we can confirm the death of our security man, by name Christopher Sadiq. Three passers-by and the suicide bomber also died. Eight of our staff, who sustained injuries, are receiving treatment at the National Hospital. The roof of the building was blown off, the power generator burnt, the printing plant damaged.

“We regard the coordinated bombings as an attack on journalism and free speech. However, we want to assure our readers and advertisers that we remain committed to the fundamental principles on which the newspaper is founded: democracy, free enterprise and social justice. We will not be deterred in our pursuit of truth and reason. No amount of threat or intimidation will weaken our resolve.

“While thanking all the government agencies, particularly Fire Service, VIO and FRSC, that rallied to put the situation under control and restore normalcy, we urge the security agencies to thoroughly investigate the obviously co-ordinated attacks and fish out the masterminds.”

How our office was bombed, by The Sun

By Our Reporter

The Sun, in a statement last night by its Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief Tony Onyima, said: “At about 11.30 am today, Thursday, April 26, 2012, an explosion occurred at the premises of our North West Zonal headquarters in Kaduna, Kaduna State.

“The property located along Kontagora Road equally houses the state offices of two other media organisations, namely THISDAY newspaper and The Moment newspaper.

“The explosion occurred when a suspected suicide bomber, driving a gold colour Honda Academy, with registration number AL 306 MKA rammed into the building.

“However, the bomb-laden vehicle failed to explode on impact with the building. But when the driver of the car jumped out and began to shout that there were bombs inside the vehicle and that they would explode any moment, angry residents and onlookers seized him and forced him to begin to dispose of the bombs. In the process, one of them exploded, killing three people and injuring several others. 

“The angry youths then turned on the driver, and would have lynched him, but for the timely intervention of the policemen who had by then been invited to the scene by our North West Bureau Chief.

“Although there were casualties, no staff of The Sun died or suffered any physical injury. 

“The police and other security agencies have since moved in to investigate the matter. The security operatives have also taken custody of the driver and suspected suicide bomber.

“Despite this seeming set back, The Sun Publishing Limited, remains undeterred and refuses to be intimidated in its quest for a better and safer Nigeria. We will continue to report without fear or favour and with utmost sense of responsibility and patriotism.”

Suicide bombers kill eight in attacks on media houses

By The Nation: Yusuf Alli, Sanni Onogu and Gbenga Adanikin, Abuja

 

•One of the victims, a 12-year-old boy at the National Hospital…yesterday

The media yesterday got a taste of the violence in some parts of Nigeria. Eight people died and 14 others were injured in a suicide bomb explosion at THISDAY office in Abuja and Kaduna where a building housing the newspaper as well as The Sun and Moments was attacked. 
In the accident, three people died and two were injured. A suspect was arrested.
The bomber was among the casualties of the Kaduna incident. 
The bombing also destroyed 10 vehicles and left the Press Hall badly damaged. 
The once beautiful edifice became a shadow of itself  - shattered windows, broken walls and shredded copies of part of today’s edition.
The imposing gate leading to the devastated Press Hall that houses the company’s Goss Community printing machine was destroyed. 
The staff gate was severely damaged and partly burnt. The generator beside the gate was burnt. A part of the fence by the gate collapsed, felling a tree. 
The wreckage of the suicide bomb vehicle was buried inside the devastated Press Hall. Policemen and aid workers were battling to retrieve it. 
The newsroom was in tatters – upturned tables, smashed seats and crushed computers. 
 All the glasses in the building, including doors, were shattered. Parts of the roof were blown off with no ceiling left hanging. 
The premises was strewn with pieces of shrapnel from the bomb laden vehicle and broken glasses. 
A crater, which must have resulted from the impact of the blast, was seen about two meters from where the SUV was lodged. Parts of the wall of the building from where the car entered the premises caved in. 
The huge loss drew tears from many workers and sympathisers. For about six hours, business was brought to a halt at Jabi Motor Park , the bustling transit station opposite the THISDAY office.
Islamist sect Boko Haram last night claimed respionsibility for the bombings. It threatened to target other journalists. 
In a statement published by the Premium Times website, a spokesman for Boko Haram said the sect would attack media again over what the group felt was inaccurate coverage. 
The sect is blamed for killing more than 440 people this year alone in its growing sectarian fight against the government.
“This is a war between us and the government of Nigeria,” the website quoted a sect spokesman as saying. “Unfortunately the media have not been objective and fair in their report of the ongoing war. They chose to take sides.”
A journalist with long-standing ties to the sect told the AP that the statement came from the group. The journalist spoke on condition of anonymity over concerns about his safety.
The sect’s spokesman particularly blamed ThisDay for publishing stories the group found inaccurate. 
A probe of the incident has started, with two foreign bomb experts visiting the scene in an unmarked Ford Expedition Sport Utility Vehicle. 
Some samples of the wreckage were retrieved for forensic analysis. 
A source spoke of how the lone suicide bomber, who drove an SUV, entered the premises in Jabi District through the back gate (a.ka. Staff Gate). 
There were indications that the suicide bomber pretended to have come for business transactions to beat the security guards on duty. 
None of the two security guards, who opened the gate for him, lived to tell the story. 
But as soon as the bomber passed through the brick wall, he stepped on the accelerator, sending the vehicle into a furious race and ramming into the Press Hall. 
There was an explosion, the impact of which shattered the newsroom and shook all the adjoining buildings, including a four-storey structure under construction and a shopping complex. 
An official of the newspaper, who pleaded for anonymity said: “The black SUV was allowed entry, unsuspectingly and suddenly it accelerated towards the Press Hall, instead of going to the parking lot. 
“I was going towards the Press Hall when suddenly I heard a loud explosion, which made me to stagger here and there. 
“Before I could regain consciousness, the Press Hall was already in flame and about 10 vehicles parked within the premises had been damaged.”
Another eye-witness, Mr. Bulus Momoh, who was in transit from Adamawa to Abuja , said no one opened the gate for the SUV. 
He said: “When I was coming to deposit my money into a micro-finance bank, I saw a black jeep parked beside the THISDAY office. 
“My instinct was telling me that something was about to happen. So, as I stepped into the bank and came out, I saw the jeep rushing in, though the gate was locked; he used speed to get inside by force before it exploded. Then we began to call people around.” 
The Deputy Head of Disaster Management, Nigerian Red Cross, National Headquarters, Mr. Adeyemo Andronicus, said: “We have taken stock of the situation. I can confirm to you that four people died, including the suicide bomber, and seven were injured. 
“Two minutes after the blast, we received a distress call at our national headquarters. So, we moved in and Red Cross deployed its official team down here. We picked the four dead persons, including the suicide bomber himself. He rammed into the complex with a vehicle. 
“From the way we retrieved the body of the suicide bomber, he was about escaping from the door when the bomb went off. 
“Another dead person at the entrance, then the third person at the newspaper house junk area, the fourth person at the back. Then, one person got injured. All the bodies have been taken to the National Hospital.
“You can see about 10 vehicles were damaged. The adjacent buildings surrounding THISDAY were also affected.” 
Chairman of THISDAY Editorial Board Mr. Olusegun Adeniyi said: “Two hours ago and two of the security men died. The suicide bomber, of course, died and then five of our support staff were injured. They have been taken to the hospital. 
“You can see that the front gate has been locked. The gate at the back was also locked and security men were there. The suicide bomber came in a jeep. They opened for him, but we cannot find out why they opened the gate for him now because they are dead. The guy entered with the vehicle, then rammed the vehicle into the building and it exploded. 
“This is a newspaper house, we’d just printed and there were a lot of support staff and advert executives in the newsroom. 
“Fortunately, the newsroom is a bit far from the back. So, all the people that were in the newsroom, especially the advert people, were safe.” 
Asked if the newspaper got any security report on a likely attack on its premises, Adeniyi said:  “I don’t know about security report. I mean we are all in the media, we know there are threats against the media generally. There are some instances of warnings, but I think we will get into all that later. 
“I don’t believe in speculations. The security men are here, they will get to the root of the matter. It has been confirmed that there is an attack on our office in Kaduna .” 
The FCT Commissioner of Police, Mr. Aderenle Shinaba , said: “It is too early to tell you the exact number of casualty now, but all I can tell you is that our main purpose of being here is to save lives and be on a rescue mission and that we have been able to do. 
“I want to say that there are some injured people that have been taken to hospitals and that is the much I can say as regards the casualty. 
“In a situation like this, all you need do first is not to count the number of people that are injured; it is to take the injured to the hospital to save their lives first and that is what we have done. 
“At the end of the day, once we have stabilised this place, we will be able to go and get the exact number of casualties. We have our men in the hospitals and they said the ones they have taken to the hospitals are being attended to and they are responding to treatment. 
“If I tell you the number I have, I don’t know the number other sister agencies have. So, I am not in a position to give something that you will come to discover that it is not correct.” 
The Acting Sector Commandant, Federal Capital Territory , Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Mr. Ajayi Michael, said: “It’s unfortunate that it has happened but we are trying to see that people who are rescued are taken  to the hospital and those who have passed away taken to the morgue so that people do not further get into injury. 
“We are still working because we can not just give out a number now.” 
The Managing Director of Save Life Foundation, Dr. Adesola Fernadez, who spoke with reporters, said the casualty figure was higher than given. 
As at press time, FCT Police Commissioner, the FCT Director of SSS, Mr. Joseph Okojie, and top security officers were co-ordinating investigation into the incident. 
At about 1.15pm, one of the two foreign experts inspected the scene of the blast before going back to the SUV. 
The two experts later invited the FCT Police Commissioner into the SUV. 
Barely a few hours after the blast, many eminent Nigerians and media chiefs visited the scene. 
Early callers at THISDAY office were  former FCT  Minister Mallam Nasir el-Rufai;  ex-Ogun Governor Gbenga Daniel; Media Trust Limited, Managing Director Mr. Isiaq Ajibola; LEADERSHIP Newspaper Group Managing Director Azubuike Ishiekwene; Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) National President, Mohammed Garba and FCT Minister Bala Mohammed.
Garba said: “I think I am here basically to sympathise with my colleagues. It is really unfortunate that such incident is happening to the media. 
“This has further confirmed our fear that journalists are not safe; media houses are not safe. There is need for the security agencies to be more proactive. 
“The owners of the media must intensify security in their premises. Our members, as journalists, must also be security conscious. 
“The Nigeria Union of Journalists is assessing the situation and at the end of it all, we are going to address a press conference and then our position will be known. 
“It is the same incident in Kaduna, which affected about three media houses. I have asked the chairman of the Kaduna State council of the NUJ to write a formal report to the NUJ secretariat. With what happened today in THISDAY and what happened in Kaduna, the NUJ will analyse the situation and come out with our position very early tomorrow morning.” 
el- Rufai said: “It is quite unfortunate. May the souls of those affected rest in peace.”
Daniel said: “I have seen what happened. It is regrettable and the only thing we can do is to plead with the people behind this action, for the sake of our country. Now that a media house is being torched, it has even greater consequences.”

Suspect held as bomb kills three in Kaduna

By The Nation: Tony Akowe, Kaduna 

 

 •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.