Two Years After, Terror Strikes Again in Abuja

President Goodluck Jonathan at the Nyanya bomb blast park

• Jonathan: We'll defeat terrorism

Jaiyeola Andrews, Yemi Akinsuyi and Senator Iroegbu

Two years after a bomb blast hit the office of THISDAY Newspapers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), it was a black Monday yesterday in Nyanya, a suburb of Abuja, when a bomb-laden, red Volkswagen Golf car, with number plate XQ229LSD, exploded at a bus park in the neighborhood, killing 71 people and injuring 124 others.

The chassis number of the vehicle, 26AS 9730302621, was still visible on the engine after the blast.
The tragic incident, which occurred between 6.30 am and 6.45 am, destroyed about 16 luxury buses (otherwise known as el-Rufai; named after the former FCT Minister, Nasir el-Rufai), of which four of them were said to have been filled with over 50 passengers.

Also, several commercial motorcycles, mini-buses and cars parked within the motor park were burnt beyond recognition.

Owing to the bomb blast, security in and around the FCT was immediately beefed up, forcing President Goodluck Jonathan and Senate President David Mark to cancel their engagements.
They visited the scene of the attack and the injured at the hospital, with the president promising Nigerians that the federal government would defeat terrorism.

The scene of the ugly incident, which was littered with horrifying images of dismembered bodies and blood soaked vehicles, was immediately cordoned off by security men and rescue agencies, who swung into action to ascertain the number of casualties and carry out investigations on the attack.

Most of the dead and injured were taken to various hospitals in the FCT by rapid response teams of National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIO), Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and Nigeria Police Force (NPF), while an appreciable number of military men and experts were also at the scene to maintain order.

Giving a breakdown of the casualties, the Director General of NEMA, Mohammed Sani Sidi, following a visit to hospitals in the FCT, said the Abuja Clinic had four injured victims; Nyanya General Hospital - 11 injured victims; Customs Hospital, Karu - 14 injured victims and one dead person; Asokoro Clinic - 25 injured victims and 27 dead; and Maitama Hospital - 27 injured victims and 14 dead bodies.

Others included Wuse General Hospital with 10 injured and 15 dead; National Hospital, Abuja - 25 wounded and 14 dead; Garki Hospital had one injured; and Medical Centre, Maraba had seven injured victims, bringing the total number of dead persons to 71 and 124 injured victims.

Reacting to the terror attack at the bus park, Jonathan expressed shock at the unfortunate incident that claimed several lives and injured 124 others.

The president, who also visited the injured victims at the Asokoro General Hospital in the FCT, in the company of Mark, Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Adamu Mu'azu, service chiefs and some ministers, assured Nigerians that the Boko Haram menace was temporary, as the country would overcome it.

The president, on behalf of Nigerians, expressed condolences to the families of those who suffered directly from the incident.

“I am also commending security services for their prompt action. However, we lost quite a number of people, so we condole with our countrymen and women. We will continue to work very hard.
“The issue of Boko Haram is temporary. Government is doing everything to make sure that we move our country forward in spite of all the distractions that want to take us backward.

“We promise that we will get over it. We also want to use this unique opportunity to plead with the media and our great men and women to come up with enlightenment programmes for our people.

“Those countries that face terrorism have developed great awareness. If there are unusual movement of vehicles and bags, they call security agencies and based on this a lot of incidents are contained.

“So we believe that if people become observant and all of us become security conscious of the movement of people, we will be able to reduce some of these incidents.

“We will do our best, the security services will continue to work very hard. God willing we will get over it. The issue of Boko Haram is temporary surely we will get over it,” Jonathan said.

The president after leaving the scene of the bomb blast, visited the injured at the Asokoro General Hospital.
The Inspector-General of Police (IG) Mohammed Abubakar also visited the scene of the explosion, where he assessed the extent of damage and the impact on the surrounding environment.

Abubakar, during the visit, urged Abuja residents and the international community to remain calm and vigilant as the police and other security agencies were stepping up measures to uncover the culprits of the crime and avoid a recurrence of the unfortunate incident.
He further noted that security agents have relentlessly worked round the clock with significant success to stave off such attacks on the FCT and the entire country at large and therefore reassured Nigerians and foreign nationals that security agencies would do everything possible to further strengthen the security within and beyond the nation's capital.

He said the police had been placed on red alert, adding: “We have equally ordered the police to intensify surveillance on all vulnerable targets within Abuja.”

He noted that the police were being supported by other law enforcement agencies and had commenced a full-scale investigation into the incident with the deployment of the Police Anti-Bomb Squad and other detectives to the scene with a view to solving the crime.

“Regrettably, 71 persons have been confirmed dead while 124 persons sustained various degrees of injuries,” he confirmed.

While commiserating with the families of the victims of the blasts, the IG called on members of the public to go about their normal businesses without fear and to cooperate with the police by providing useful information in order to ensure that the perpetrators of the bomb attack are brought to book.

Also speaking to journalists at the scene, the Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, said the explosion occurred at 6.45 am during the rush hour, destroying many vehicles and large number of casualties.

Mba reconfirmed that 16 luxury buses were razed, while 24 other vehicles were also destroyed in the blast.

He said information centres would be open at all the hospitals where survivors were being attended to in order to provide information for their families.

He added that experts from the Bomb Disposal Squad Unit of the police had combed the area, with security personnel placed on red alert throughout the FCT.

“The agencies are already paying very close attention to all vulnerable points including bus parks,” he said.

Mba further advised the public to avoid unnecessary huge crowds and be security conscious at all times.
He said most of the affected passengers were workers and petty traders who were to be conveyed by commercial vehicles to the metropolis.

In the same vein, the Director of Search and Rescue, NEMA, Air Commodore Charles Otegbade, confirmed that they were alerted of the bomb blast at 6.45 am and swiftly deployed their men to the scene to help rescue and evacuate the wounded, as well as the dead to the hospital.