40 persons killed in Kaduna bombing mostly female teachers

Firstclass newsline gathered that the bokoharam sects on Tuesday
revisited Kaduna State with a female suicide bomber attacking the
secretariat of the Sabon Gari Local Government Area in Dogarawa,
killing at least 40 persons, mostly female teachers.
The victims, most of who were said to have been burnt beyond
recognition, had been undergoing a staff audit exercise at the
secretariat when they met their death.
Others sustained varying degrees of injury in the attack. The attacked
secretariat is few kilometres away from the Zaria City.
The bomber sneaked into the secretariat and detonated an Improvised
Explosive Device strapped to her body at about 9.30am while staff
verification was on.
Also on Tuesday, 14 persons died in an ambush by gunmen at Sho village
in the Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The Plateau killing occurred at about 12 noon when the victims, who
were part of a group that were being escorted by policemen, were
ambushed and killed by the gunmen.
Spokesman for the Special Task Force, Capt. Ikedichi Iweha, who
confirmed the incident and the death toll, told our correspondent in
Jos that the villagers had refused the deployment of STF operatives to
their communities and had insisted that they preferred to be guarded
by the police.
The victims of the Kaduna attack were taken to the St. Luke Hospital,
Wusasa, and the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Shika.
Both hospitals are in Zaria
Eyewitness accounts said the female suicide bomber had joined the
queue of workers, pretending to be part of those undergoing the
verification exercise.
The verification of workers, it was learnt, coincided with the
inaugural address of the newly appointed chairman of the Barkin Ladi
Local Government Area's interim management committee.
Firstclass newsline also learnt that most of the victims were female
primary school teachers from more than three local government areas,
including Kubau, Lere and Sabon Gari.
Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai; and the State Commissioner of
Police, Alhaji Umar Shehu rushed to the scene of the incident.
The governor, who took to his twitter handle to bemoan the incident,
however first said only 20 persons died but he later updated the
figure, putting the number of deaths at 25 and that 50 persons were
injured.
The Chief Medical Director of the Ahmadu Bello Teaching Hospital,
Shika, Prof. Lawal Khalid, who declined giving the casualty figure
simply said "above a dozen people died."
A female worker at the local government secretariat, Aisha Mohammed,
told firstclass newsline that they were all packed in a hall capable
of sitting 500 when "suddenly we heard a deafening sound of the
explosion."
She narrated how three trucks loaded with body parts were conveyed by
the police to the hospital.
She said, "We heard a loud sound and everybody scampered for safety.
There were lifeless and charred bodies littered all over the place.
"I cannot say the exact casualty figure at the moment but I can say
about 40 because I witnessed three police vans loaded with body parts
being taken away.
Meanwhile, el-Rufai, in a statement by his Special Assistant on Media
and Publicity, Samuel Aruwan, has condemned the attack, which
described as an "act of infamy."
He said, "The casualty count as at 12 noon is 25 fatalities, including
a two-year old child. Thirty-two injured persons are being treated at
the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria, and other
hospitals in the city.
"The blast went off as the residents welcomed the new chairman of the
interim management committee of the local government to his office at
the secretariat. Some local government staff from Lere and Ikara were
also undergoing biometric verification at the venue.
"The Kaduna State Government has expressed its sadness at this
mindless attack on our citizens. It has condoled with the victims and
is coordinating the treatment of the survivors."
The governor has also announced the banning of street begging and
hawking in the state with immediate effect.
According to the governor, the ban is to enhance security in the state.
He said, "All beggars and hawkers are to stay off the streets until
further notice. Any beggar or hawker found on the streets will be
arrested, until these measures are relaxed.
"In addition, government reiterates that the ban on motorcycle taxis
(achaba) remains in force, and the law will be strictly enforced in
this regard.
"The government hereby urges all citizens to report all suspicious
persons and movements to the security agencies, and to afford these
agencies their maximum cooperation.
"These measures take immediate effect."
Jos blasts' deaths now 50
In Plateau State, member representing the Barkin Ladi constituency in
the State House of Assembly, Mr. Peter Gyendeng, confirmed the attack
to newsmen and decried the alleged daily killing of his constituents.
Meanwhile, the death toll in the twin blasts in Jos has risen to 51.
The North Central zonal coordinator of the National Emergency
Management Agency, Mr. Mohammed Abdulsalami, told a source that about
seven more people had died at the Plateau Specialist Hospital where
they had been receiving treatment.
NEMA had on Monday said 44 persons lost their lives and 47 others were
critically injured in the blasts, which rocked Jos city on Sunday
night.
Speaking to our correspondent on Tuesday, Abdulsalami said that one of
the injured victims died on Tuesday morning while six more corpses
were recovered from the scene of the explosion. He said the corpses
had been identified by their relatives and taken for burial.
Meanwhile, the Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase, has
mandated police commissioners in state commands to strengthen security
at all mosques, churches and other worship centres across the country.
He also directed that adequate security should be provided at venues
where Moslems break their Ramadan fast in the evenings.
A statement by the Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, Abayomi
Shogunle, on Tuesday in Abuja advised worshippers to be vigilant and
to promptly report to the police any suspicious persons or substances.
In a similar development, the police have banned street hawking and
all forms of trading on Abuja roads and highways, especially at road
intersections, traffic light points and traffic hold-ups.
In the same vein, unauthorised taxi parks and bus-stops formed around
the Federal Secretariat, Abuja, are now prohibited.
"Only bus and taxis painted in authorised commercial colours would be
allowed to operate at designated taxi parks and bus stops in and
around the Central Area, Abuja. Violators would be apprehended and
prosecuted as police units have been directed to enforce the relevant
laws in this regard," the statement added.
Four killed at military checkpoint
Also on Tuesday, another female suicide bomber detonated an IED at a
military checkpoint in Borno village, killing four other persons.
A member of the youth vigilante group, Abba Maidugu, said that the
lone female suicide bomber alighted at the military checkpoint in a
remote village of Sabon Gari in the Damboa Local Government Area of
Borno State and detonated an IED strapped to her body, killing herself
and four others.
Maidugu said, "At about 10.30am today (Tuesday) a female bomber that
wrapped up explosive devices on her body exploded at a checkpoint
killing four, including two members of the civilian JTF, and injured
many others."
Sabon Gari is a community in the Damboa southern part of Borno State.
The community is about 120 kilometres away from Maiduguri, the state
capital.
Borno State is the operational base of the violent Islamic sect, Boko
Haram. Most of the sect's enclaves are located in the state.
13-year-old girl bombs Kano
In Kano, a 13-year-old female suicide bomber detonated a bomb she hid
in her body near the popular Aliyu Ibn Abi-talib Mosque at the busy
Dengi area of the ancient city on Monday night.
Two persons died in the incident, while four others sustained grievous injuries.
The Kano State Police Command Public Relations Officer, Musa Magaji
Majiya, an assistant superintendent of police, who confirmed the
incident, said that the Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Idris, had
visited the scene of the explosion to ascertain the extent of damage.
According to him, as soon as the police conclude preliminary
investigations, the public will be briefed of its findings. He however
said no arrest had been made.
The police described the bomb attack as unsuccessful, because the
female bomber failed to hit the mosque, which was said to be her
target.
He however cautioned members of the public to be wary of strange faces
within their immediate vicinity.
Firstclassnewsline.net