A total of 27 persons killed in Kano, Potiskum explosions

There was bloodbath in Kano and Potiskum on Tuesday following
suicide bomb attacks on motor parks in the two cities.
Fifteen people died and 53 others were injured in the Potiskum, Yobe
State attack while 12 were said to have lost their lives in the
incident at the Kano Line Motor Park on Zaria Road, Kano.
It was gathered that the victims of the Potiskum blast were taken to
the general hospital in the community and the Federal Medical Centre
Nguru.
A nurse at the general hospital said, "15 bodies brought here from
the scene of the blast have been deposited in the mortuary. Some of
those injured are in critical conditions at the Accident and Emergency
Unit. It is likely the death toll will rise Those whose wounds are
not serious would be treated and discharged."
An eyewitness claimed that the female bomber entered a bus at the
Tashan Dan Borno Motor Park along the busy Kano Road in the city,
pretending to be a traveller.
He said that the driver of the bus with Kano registration number XA
592 GBT was still waiting for more passengers when the bomber
detonated explosives tied to her body at about 11.45am.
The entire area, according to him, was immediately thrown into
confusion by the explosion which sent a huge ball of fire from the
bus up the skies.
But another witness said the bomber alighted from a tricycle, dashed
into the mini- motor park and set off the explosives.
An official of the motor park union said, "The loaders were getting
ready to collect money from passengers when we heard a loud sound
and the car went up in flames."
Yobe State has witnessed several suicide bomb attacks in recent
times in places like motor parks, markets and restaurants .
Last Sunday, one happened at a phone market in Potiskum. It left
five dead and 40 injured.
Three suicide bombers were said to have carried out the Kano Line
Motor Park attack at about 3.15pm on Tuesday.
One of the bombers was said to have escaped while two of his
colleagues died alongside 10 others when the bombs exploded.
It was learnt that the bombers, whose ages ranged between 17 and 18,
carried hand bags on their back and mixed up with passengers in the
park.
An eyewitness, Bello Ibrahim, told journalists that two of the suicide
bombers stood by the side of an Urvan bus which was loading passengers
at that time the bombs exploded.
Ibrahim, a revenue collector at the motor park, said, "Shortly after
I left the park, I heard a deafening sound. On turning back, I saw
dead bodies being roasted by fire caused by the bomb blast.
"I was suspicious when I saw two of the bombers. They were young
boys with strange faces.They killed about 10 people, including the man
that writes the passenger manifest and a bread seller ."
The state Commissioner of Police, Idris Ibrahim, who visited the scene
of the incident, said 12 people were killed, adding that investigation
into the blast was ongoing.
He said, "As you can see, it involves three vehicles, a Volkswagen
Sharan, a Toyota Urvan bus and a Volkswagn Golf . We estimated that
about 12 people died in the bomb blast and from the information we
gathered from the scene, it seems that the two suicide bombers came in
that Sharan as passengers and while moving out of the motor park,
detonated their bombs."
Jonathan regrets attacks
President Goodluck Jonathan condemned the attacks, regretting that
they came at a time his administration and multinational forces were
doing everything possible to recover areas formerly controlled
by Boko Haram.
Jonathan, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and
Publicity, Reuben Abati, commiserated with families who lost their
loved ones to the bombings.
The statement read in part, "The President shares the grief of all the
bereaved families and is deeply saddened by the continued loss of many
innocent lives to misguided and desperate fanatics who are now
feeling the intense counter-insurgency operation by the Nigerian
Armed Forces.
"The President assures all Nigerians and the people of the
North-Eastern states in particular, that the days of mourning victims
of incessant terrorist attacks in the country will soon be over as the
tide has now definitely turned against Boko Haram.
"President Jonathan further assures the people of Nigeria that the
gallant, courageous and patriotic officers and men of the Nigerian
Armed Forces, supported with new platforms, equipment and logistics
will carry the ongoing operations against the terrorists through to a
successful conclusion in the shortest possible time.
"He affirms that his administration will continue to take all
necessary actions to guarantee the success of ongoing military
operations against the terrorist group and drastically reduce its
ability to take and hold territory or recruit, groom and brainwash
young persons to undertake suicide bombings on soft targets."
80 year-old American missionary kidnapped
Meanwhile, an 80 year -old American missionary, Rev. Phyllinx Sogor,
has been kidnapped in Kogi State.
The kidnappers were said to have on Monday invaded Sogor's
Nursery/Primary School at Emi-woro, a village in Ajaokuta Local
Government Area, and pulled the old woman out of her office.
They were said to have led her away through a hill in a forest
behind the school.
As of 5pm on Tuesday, the suspected kidnappers had yet to contact
the school authorities or other concerned stakeholders on the
whereabouts or ransom for the release of the missionary.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Kogi State Command, Sola
Adebayo, confirmed the abduction to journalists in Lokoja.
He said that police officers had secured the school premises,
appealing to the residents of the neighbouring communities to
assist with information that could lead to the rescue of the
octogenarian and the arrest of the culprits.
A statement on the Free Methodist Church's website on Tuesday stated
that the United States Embassy, the State Department and the Federal
Bureau of Investigations were collaborating with Nigerian security
agencies for the rescue of the victim.
The statement was attributed to one Bishop David Kendall.
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