I Was Target Of Kaduna Blast – Buhari
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Former head of state and leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) General Muhammadu Buhari yesterday escaped death by assassination while on his way to his home town Daura, Katsina State.
The assassination attempt on Buhari took place 30 minutes after another explosion targeted at a prominent Islamic scholar and national leader of Darikah Islamic sect, Sheikh Dahiru Usman Bauchi, also in Kaduna metropolis.
The multiple explosions which killed about 80 People and injured 41 others, according to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), forced the state government to declare a 24-hour curfew.
Attack targeted at me – Buhari
Reacting to the attack, General Buhari said, “I am personally involved in a clearly targeted bomb attack today at about 2:30pm on my way to Daura.
“The unfortunate event, clearly an assassination attempt, came from a fast-moving vehicle that made many attempts to overtake my security car but was blocked by an escort vehicle.
“We reached the market area of Kawo where he took advantage of our slowing down and attempted to ram my car and instantly detonated the bomb which destroyed all the three cars in our convoy.
“Unfortunately, when I came out of my vehicle, I saw many dead bodies littered around. They were innocent people going about their daily business who became victims of mass murder.
“Thank God for His mercy, I came out unhurt, but with three of my security staff sustaining minor injuries. They have since been treated in hospital and discharged,” he said.
Eyewitnesses told our reporter that a suicide bomber trailed Buhari’s convoy from his Kaduna residence to the popular Kawo Market and rammed his Siena car into the general’s convoy.
According to eyewitnesses, the general was forced to abandon his vehicle and hurriedly joined another vehicle which was provide by motor park association, but one of his convoy’s vehicles was said to have been seriously damaged.
Some of the eyewitnesses, who would not want their names mentioned in print, alleged that Buhari might have been the target of the Kawo blast, considering the manner it occurred when his convoy reached the corner.
Eyewitness said: “I am very sure the bomb was targeted at Buhari because his vehicles were damaged. In fact, the vehicle behind his personal car, I’m not sure anybody survived in that car. But I saw Buhari come out of his car, waved at the crowd and abandoned his jeep and entered another waiting car and zoomed off the scene of the blast.”
According to the source, Buhari’s personal Prado jeep and that of his security aides were completely damaged.
On the attempted assassination of Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi, eyewitnesses said the attack was targeted at the revered Islamic scholar when he had just finished the concluding part of this year’s Ramadan Tafsir which held at the Murtala Muhammed Square.
An eyewitness said a security man attached to the sheik had, on noticing the restiveness and manoeuvring of a teenage suicide bomber on motorbike who was waiting for the convoy of the scholar, asked him to clear the way. “When the suspect was pushed, the bomb exploded and the main victims were passengers in a J5 bus that was in the convoy of the scholar. It was only the driver of the bus that escaped but most of the people in the car lost their lives,” he said.
It was gathered that the Sheikh was unhurt, although his clothes and his vehicle were stained with blood.
Kaduna State, Commissioner of police, Compol Umar Shehu, who arrived at the scene at exactly 1:15pm, confirmed that the rescue team at the scene had so far picked 25 bodies and other injured victims at the scene of the first explosion.
He added that some of the victims were receiving treatment at Garkuwa and 44 Army Reference hospitals in the state.
The commissioner told our reporter at the scene of the blast, “For now we have recorded 25 dead bodies. People have just closed from the Ramadan Tsafir led by Sheikh Dahiru Usman Bauchi, and we provided enough security at Murtala Square, the venue of the Tafsir, but the bomb was planted far away from the venue, to target him through the route he was taking to go home. We are doing our best to safeguard the country, so we are appealing to the perpetrators to lay down their arms.”
Speaking also, the north-west zonal director of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Musa Elalla, said that 25 people were killed: “We have moved those that were injured to various hospitals in town, but we cannot tell you we know how many people that are injured until we move round the hospitals to take the figures.
An eyewitness who preferred anonymity said, “Around 12:30 pm, we just heard a loud noise; it happened where many cars were parked, and we saw dead bodies being flung in different directions. Many spots along the road — Alkali Road where the bomb blasted were soaked with blood stains. In fact, I saw more than 30 dead bodies littered everywhere on the road.”
Another eyewitness said, “The bomb was targeted at Sheikh Dahiru who was coming back from the concluding part of his Ramadan Tafsir at Murtala Square. The suicide bomber came in a motorcycle and ran after the vehicle of the sheikh, but the sheikh escaped the blast with blood stains on his dress.
“All the occupants of the J5 containing more than 30 people died except the driver who sustained serious injury.”
Another eyewitness, whose place of work was around the scene of the blast said, “ We heard a loud sound shortly after Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi passed with his convoy, only for us to come out and see several dead bodies on the floor with several others groaning in pains from injuries sustained. Although I did not see the bomber, I was also told he came on a motorcycle.”
A Red Cross officials who was seen evacuating the casualties put the number at above 50.
Suspect arrested in female attire
Our reporter gathered that a suspect who dressed in female attire was arrested by the military and, when searched, several handsets were found in his possession.
It took the intervention of security personnel at the scene to rescue him from an angry mob as tear gas was fired to disperse the mob who were bent on attacking the suspect.
Shiekh Bauchi speaks
Prominent Islamic cleric, Shiekh Dahiru Bauchi has commented on the suicide bombing in which he survived. He said, “We were on our way home. We heard the blast which was targeted at us. It is only our windscreen that was shattered by the blast. I am telling my followers not to worry. I am safe, I am not injured.
“I want to tell my people that there is no need to create a scene. Let us pray for the country.”
But followers of the renowned cleric had reacted angrily, throwing stones at the security forces and accusing them of failing to protect Nigerians.
The security forces retaliated by firing tear gas to disperse the angry crowd.
Target on Buhari’s life ploy to cause division – Jonathan
President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday condemned the Kaduna bombings said to have been targeted at former head of state General Muhammadu Buhari and eminent Islamic cleric Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi, describing them as a deliberate ploy to cause sectional division by inflaming passion and causing panic in the land.
In a statement by presidential spokesman Dr Reuben Abati, the president who thanked God for sparing Buhari’s life ordered the Nigeria Police and other security agencies to do whatever they can to bring those behind the gory attacks to book.
Abati stated: “President Jonathan denounces the dastardly targeting of the prominent political and religious leaders by terrorists and enemies of the nation in an odious attempt to inflame passions and exacerbate disquiet, fear, insecurity and sectional divisions in the country.
“While thanking God Almighty for sparing the lives of General Buhari and Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi, the president extends sincere condolences to the families of those who were sadly killed by the bomb blasts.
“President Jonathan also commiserates with all those who were injured in the twin bombings in this Holy Month of Ramadan which defy the tenets of Islam, and provide further proof that the terrorists are nothing but blood-thirsty extremists bent on undermining the unity and progress of the nation.”
Abati added that Jonathan assured residents of Kaduna and Nigerians generally that his government “will continue and further intensify its ongoing efforts to effectively curb the menace of terrorism in the country”.
“He has specifically directed the police and other national security agencies to take all necessary actions to apprehend the perpetrators of today’s attacks on Kaduna and urges all residents of the city to give them the fullest possible cooperation and support as they work to bring the terrorists to justice,” the presidential spokesman noted.
Tambuwal decries attack
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, has described the twin blasts which rocked the city of Kaduna Wednesday as cruel, barbaric and heinous crime.
According to him, the targeting of prominent persons as seen from the blasts is both regrettable and condemnable.
In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Malam Imam Imam, Tambuwal said killing of innocent people cannot be justified under any guise, adding that whoever is behind the Kaduna incidents should be pursued and brought to justice.
While thanking God that the apparent targets of the attacks, General Muhammadu Buhari and Sheikh Dahiru Usman Bauchi, have escaped unhurt, Tambuwal expressed sadness over the loss of innocent lives.
Tinubu condemns attack
The explosions that rocked Kaduna yesterday have been attributed to the failure of the Jonathan presidency to live up to the expectation of the people.
National leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Asiwaju Bola Tinubu said this in a statement issued by his media office.
In his swift reaction to the tragedy that affected General Muhammadu Buhari’s convoy, noted that “innocent Nigerians confirm that our county is in the grip of terror. Sadly, we are in the hands of a bungling, buck-passing and blackmailing presidency”.
“I condemn in the strongest terms the attack on General Buhari and his convoy, and the innocent Nigerians that suffered untimely deaths. I thank God that Gen. Buhari’s life was spared for greater service to the fatherland. Under an increasingly incompetent and incoherent PDP government, Nigeria slips into a low-intensity war. We are all marked people under a government that prefers to label and attack the opposition rather than apply itself to providing security and good governance.
Yero declares 24-hour curfew
In the meantime, Kaduna State Governor Ramalan Yero has declared a 24 hour curfew with effect from yesterday, to forestall the situation being hijacked by hoodlums to cause crisis. He condemned the blast that killed scores of people.
According to a statement issued by the governor’s spokesperson Ahmed Maiyaki and made available to newsmen, Yero “has condemned the bomb blasts that occurred today in the metropolis, describing the acts as the height of ‘cowardice’ by those bent on creating tension in the state”.
“Following the unfortunate situation, a 24-hour curfew has been imposed on Kaduna metropolis with immediate effect, to enable security agencies restore normalcy,” he said.
The governor said the blasts were clear manifestations of the resolve by agents of darkness to soak the land with the blood of innocent people for no just cause. He said “the enemies of peace have visited us with their ungodly venom of wanton destruction of human lives. This blast, coming in the Holy Month of Ramadan, is a clear indication that those behind the act have no iota of fear of God as they have none for the sanctity of human life”.
JNI condemns blasts
The Jamatul Nasril Islam (JNI) has condemned the blasts while sympathising with the victims and their families.
A statement signed by the secretary-general of JNI, Dr Khalid Abubakar Aliyu, said: “We are dazzled over the news of the twin blasts in Kaduna city, which claimed the lives of many innocent Muslims in a Tafseer closing session of Sheikh Dahiru Usman Bauchi, held at Murtala Muhammad Square, Kaduna, and within a short while another blast was said to have rocked Kawo in Kaduna, Kaduna State.
Sheikh Bauchi might have not been the target – DSS
The Department of State Services (DSS) yesterday in Abuja could not confirm if the bomb blast which occurred along Alkali Road in Kaduna about 12.45pm was targeted at the Islamic cleric, Dahiru Bauchi, as reported.
The DSS spokesperson, Maryln Ogar, while responding to questions from journalists at the National Information Centre, said “the bomb blast may not have been targeted at the Islamic cleric, though we know that he holds annual prayer at the Square but we cannot confirm if it was actually targeted at him. As soon as we get enough detail to confirm that he was the target, we will let you know.”
Kaduna explosion national calamity – ACF
The Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, said the twin bomb blasts that rocked Kaduna town was a national calamity, a disservice to humanity and a great shock to the nation especially in this Holy Month of Ramadan.
In a statement by its spokesman Muhammad Ibrahim, the ACF said the bomb blast coming after the Islamic cleric Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi had concluded this year’s Tafsir at Murtala Muhammad Square, Kaduna, with prayers for peace and harmony to reign in Nigeria, was worrisome and a national disaster, considering the peace Kaduna had enjoyed in the last two years.
………………………………………………………………..
Former head of state and leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) General Muhammadu Buhari yesterday escaped death by assassination while on his way to his home town Daura, Katsina State.
The assassination attempt on Buhari took place 30 minutes after another explosion targeted at a prominent Islamic scholar and national leader of Darikah Islamic sect, Sheikh Dahiru Usman Bauchi, also in Kaduna metropolis.
The multiple explosions which killed about 80 People and injured 41 others, according to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), forced the state government to declare a 24-hour curfew.
Attack targeted at me – Buhari
Reacting to the attack, General Buhari said, “I am personally involved in a clearly targeted bomb attack today at about 2:30pm on my way to Daura.
“The unfortunate event, clearly an assassination attempt, came from a fast-moving vehicle that made many attempts to overtake my security car but was blocked by an escort vehicle.
“We reached the market area of Kawo where he took advantage of our slowing down and attempted to ram my car and instantly detonated the bomb which destroyed all the three cars in our convoy.
“Unfortunately, when I came out of my vehicle, I saw many dead bodies littered around. They were innocent people going about their daily business who became victims of mass murder.
“Thank God for His mercy, I came out unhurt, but with three of my security staff sustaining minor injuries. They have since been treated in hospital and discharged,” he said.
Eyewitnesses told our reporter that a suicide bomber trailed Buhari’s convoy from his Kaduna residence to the popular Kawo Market and rammed his Siena car into the general’s convoy.
According to eyewitnesses, the general was forced to abandon his vehicle and hurriedly joined another vehicle which was provide by motor park association, but one of his convoy’s vehicles was said to have been seriously damaged.
Some of the eyewitnesses, who would not want their names mentioned in print, alleged that Buhari might have been the target of the Kawo blast, considering the manner it occurred when his convoy reached the corner.
Eyewitness said: “I am very sure the bomb was targeted at Buhari because his vehicles were damaged. In fact, the vehicle behind his personal car, I’m not sure anybody survived in that car. But I saw Buhari come out of his car, waved at the crowd and abandoned his jeep and entered another waiting car and zoomed off the scene of the blast.”
According to the source, Buhari’s personal Prado jeep and that of his security aides were completely damaged.
On the attempted assassination of Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi, eyewitnesses said the attack was targeted at the revered Islamic scholar when he had just finished the concluding part of this year’s Ramadan Tafsir which held at the Murtala Muhammed Square.
An eyewitness said a security man attached to the sheik had, on noticing the restiveness and manoeuvring of a teenage suicide bomber on motorbike who was waiting for the convoy of the scholar, asked him to clear the way. “When the suspect was pushed, the bomb exploded and the main victims were passengers in a J5 bus that was in the convoy of the scholar. It was only the driver of the bus that escaped but most of the people in the car lost their lives,” he said.
It was gathered that the Sheikh was unhurt, although his clothes and his vehicle were stained with blood.
Kaduna State, Commissioner of police, Compol Umar Shehu, who arrived at the scene at exactly 1:15pm, confirmed that the rescue team at the scene had so far picked 25 bodies and other injured victims at the scene of the first explosion.
He added that some of the victims were receiving treatment at Garkuwa and 44 Army Reference hospitals in the state.
The commissioner told our reporter at the scene of the blast, “For now we have recorded 25 dead bodies. People have just closed from the Ramadan Tsafir led by Sheikh Dahiru Usman Bauchi, and we provided enough security at Murtala Square, the venue of the Tafsir, but the bomb was planted far away from the venue, to target him through the route he was taking to go home. We are doing our best to safeguard the country, so we are appealing to the perpetrators to lay down their arms.”
Speaking also, the north-west zonal director of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Musa Elalla, said that 25 people were killed: “We have moved those that were injured to various hospitals in town, but we cannot tell you we know how many people that are injured until we move round the hospitals to take the figures.
An eyewitness who preferred anonymity said, “Around 12:30 pm, we just heard a loud noise; it happened where many cars were parked, and we saw dead bodies being flung in different directions. Many spots along the road — Alkali Road where the bomb blasted were soaked with blood stains. In fact, I saw more than 30 dead bodies littered everywhere on the road.”
Another eyewitness said, “The bomb was targeted at Sheikh Dahiru who was coming back from the concluding part of his Ramadan Tafsir at Murtala Square. The suicide bomber came in a motorcycle and ran after the vehicle of the sheikh, but the sheikh escaped the blast with blood stains on his dress.
“All the occupants of the J5 containing more than 30 people died except the driver who sustained serious injury.”
Another eyewitness, whose place of work was around the scene of the blast said, “ We heard a loud sound shortly after Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi passed with his convoy, only for us to come out and see several dead bodies on the floor with several others groaning in pains from injuries sustained. Although I did not see the bomber, I was also told he came on a motorcycle.”
A Red Cross officials who was seen evacuating the casualties put the number at above 50.
Suspect arrested in female attire
Our reporter gathered that a suspect who dressed in female attire was arrested by the military and, when searched, several handsets were found in his possession.
It took the intervention of security personnel at the scene to rescue him from an angry mob as tear gas was fired to disperse the mob who were bent on attacking the suspect.
Shiekh Bauchi speaks
Prominent Islamic cleric, Shiekh Dahiru Bauchi has commented on the suicide bombing in which he survived. He said, “We were on our way home. We heard the blast which was targeted at us. It is only our windscreen that was shattered by the blast. I am telling my followers not to worry. I am safe, I am not injured.
“I want to tell my people that there is no need to create a scene. Let us pray for the country.”
But followers of the renowned cleric had reacted angrily, throwing stones at the security forces and accusing them of failing to protect Nigerians.
The security forces retaliated by firing tear gas to disperse the angry crowd.
Target on Buhari’s life ploy to cause division – Jonathan
President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday condemned the Kaduna bombings said to have been targeted at former head of state General Muhammadu Buhari and eminent Islamic cleric Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi, describing them as a deliberate ploy to cause sectional division by inflaming passion and causing panic in the land.
In a statement by presidential spokesman Dr Reuben Abati, the president who thanked God for sparing Buhari’s life ordered the Nigeria Police and other security agencies to do whatever they can to bring those behind the gory attacks to book.
Abati stated: “President Jonathan denounces the dastardly targeting of the prominent political and religious leaders by terrorists and enemies of the nation in an odious attempt to inflame passions and exacerbate disquiet, fear, insecurity and sectional divisions in the country.
“While thanking God Almighty for sparing the lives of General Buhari and Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi, the president extends sincere condolences to the families of those who were sadly killed by the bomb blasts.
“President Jonathan also commiserates with all those who were injured in the twin bombings in this Holy Month of Ramadan which defy the tenets of Islam, and provide further proof that the terrorists are nothing but blood-thirsty extremists bent on undermining the unity and progress of the nation.”
Abati added that Jonathan assured residents of Kaduna and Nigerians generally that his government “will continue and further intensify its ongoing efforts to effectively curb the menace of terrorism in the country”.
“He has specifically directed the police and other national security agencies to take all necessary actions to apprehend the perpetrators of today’s attacks on Kaduna and urges all residents of the city to give them the fullest possible cooperation and support as they work to bring the terrorists to justice,” the presidential spokesman noted.
Tambuwal decries attack
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, has described the twin blasts which rocked the city of Kaduna Wednesday as cruel, barbaric and heinous crime.
According to him, the targeting of prominent persons as seen from the blasts is both regrettable and condemnable.
In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Malam Imam Imam, Tambuwal said killing of innocent people cannot be justified under any guise, adding that whoever is behind the Kaduna incidents should be pursued and brought to justice.
While thanking God that the apparent targets of the attacks, General Muhammadu Buhari and Sheikh Dahiru Usman Bauchi, have escaped unhurt, Tambuwal expressed sadness over the loss of innocent lives.
Tinubu condemns attack
The explosions that rocked Kaduna yesterday have been attributed to the failure of the Jonathan presidency to live up to the expectation of the people.
National leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Asiwaju Bola Tinubu said this in a statement issued by his media office.
In his swift reaction to the tragedy that affected General Muhammadu Buhari’s convoy, noted that “innocent Nigerians confirm that our county is in the grip of terror. Sadly, we are in the hands of a bungling, buck-passing and blackmailing presidency”.
“I condemn in the strongest terms the attack on General Buhari and his convoy, and the innocent Nigerians that suffered untimely deaths. I thank God that Gen. Buhari’s life was spared for greater service to the fatherland. Under an increasingly incompetent and incoherent PDP government, Nigeria slips into a low-intensity war. We are all marked people under a government that prefers to label and attack the opposition rather than apply itself to providing security and good governance.
Yero declares 24-hour curfew
In the meantime, Kaduna State Governor Ramalan Yero has declared a 24 hour curfew with effect from yesterday, to forestall the situation being hijacked by hoodlums to cause crisis. He condemned the blast that killed scores of people.
According to a statement issued by the governor’s spokesperson Ahmed Maiyaki and made available to newsmen, Yero “has condemned the bomb blasts that occurred today in the metropolis, describing the acts as the height of ‘cowardice’ by those bent on creating tension in the state”.
“Following the unfortunate situation, a 24-hour curfew has been imposed on Kaduna metropolis with immediate effect, to enable security agencies restore normalcy,” he said.
The governor said the blasts were clear manifestations of the resolve by agents of darkness to soak the land with the blood of innocent people for no just cause. He said “the enemies of peace have visited us with their ungodly venom of wanton destruction of human lives. This blast, coming in the Holy Month of Ramadan, is a clear indication that those behind the act have no iota of fear of God as they have none for the sanctity of human life”.
JNI condemns blasts
The Jamatul Nasril Islam (JNI) has condemned the blasts while sympathising with the victims and their families.
A statement signed by the secretary-general of JNI, Dr Khalid Abubakar Aliyu, said: “We are dazzled over the news of the twin blasts in Kaduna city, which claimed the lives of many innocent Muslims in a Tafseer closing session of Sheikh Dahiru Usman Bauchi, held at Murtala Muhammad Square, Kaduna, and within a short while another blast was said to have rocked Kawo in Kaduna, Kaduna State.
Sheikh Bauchi might have not been the target – DSS
The Department of State Services (DSS) yesterday in Abuja could not confirm if the bomb blast which occurred along Alkali Road in Kaduna about 12.45pm was targeted at the Islamic cleric, Dahiru Bauchi, as reported.
The DSS spokesperson, Maryln Ogar, while responding to questions from journalists at the National Information Centre, said “the bomb blast may not have been targeted at the Islamic cleric, though we know that he holds annual prayer at the Square but we cannot confirm if it was actually targeted at him. As soon as we get enough detail to confirm that he was the target, we will let you know.”
Kaduna explosion national calamity – ACF
The Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, said the twin bomb blasts that rocked Kaduna town was a national calamity, a disservice to humanity and a great shock to the nation especially in this Holy Month of Ramadan.
In a statement by its spokesman Muhammad Ibrahim, the ACF said the bomb blast coming after the Islamic cleric Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi had concluded this year’s Tafsir at Murtala Muhammad Square, Kaduna, with prayers for peace and harmony to reign in Nigeria, was worrisome and a national disaster, considering the peace Kaduna had enjoyed in the last two years.
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