Sunday 19 August 2012

Kaduna : Suicide bombers caught in their own web

By Luka Binniyat
Last Wednesday, Kaduna
metropolis, ever on the
tether of Boko Haram
threat, got lucky once more
as two couriers of an
explosive abruptly ended
their sojourn on earth after
their lethal cargo
inadvertently set off before
they hit their target.
The two suicide bombers,
operating on a motor bike,
were killed by their own
devices at Abakwa, along Ali
Akilu Road, as they were
heading towards Ungwan
Sarki Area, according to
Kaduna State Police
Spokesman, Abubakar Balteh,
(ASP).
With that development,
Kaduna heaved a sigh of
relief, as no one could have
predicted the outcome if the
bikers had delivered their
consignment.
Kaduna, unsettled, since
1992, by a rhythm of
mindless bloodshed between
mainly Hausa/Fulani Muslims
on the northern part of the
Kaduna river and mainly
Christian enclave of non
Hausa/Fulani tribal
groupings south of the river,
was just recuperating from a
major violence that took
place in June.
A coordinated suicide
mission in June, later
claimed by an Islamist group,
had led to the bombings of
two churches in Zaria, and
another in Kaduna leaving
about 21 worshipers dead,
and scores injured.
As if on cue, Christian youths
south of the Kaduna river
took to the streets and
visited mayhem on any
Hausa/Fulani Muslim found,
leaving corpses on the
streets that Sunday
afternoon.
*Islamists…Two killed by
their own devices
Governor Patrick Yakowa of
Kaduna State, immediately
placed a 24-hour curfew on
the state, just to partially lift
the embargo on movement
the next Tuesday. Hausa/
Fulani Muslim youth took
advantage of this and
launched murderous assault
on non-Muslims caught
withintheir strongholds.
Before then, precisely in
January, two members of
the Islamist group, Boko
Haram, which claimed
responsibility for the
bombings, had rammed
through the gates of I Div
Mechanised Division of the
Nigerian Army, Kawo Kaduna
a jeep that exploded and
killed the two. The Army
authorities said none of their
personnel was hurt in the
assault.
Since the June unrest
sparked by the bombings,
there seemed a kind of lull
on Boko Haram’s bombings
until last Wednesday’s.
Here is a catalogue of the
activities of the Islamist
group to inflict maximmum
damage on prime targets
usually Christians and
security personnel in Kaduna.
April 8 2011 Police uncover
massive bombing plots after
bomb kills one
On this day, three hours after
the Kaduna State Police
Command said it was aware
of plans for massive violence
to disrupt the presidential
poll, a bomb exploded in
Mahuta, a suburb, killing the
handler and maiming one
Mohammed, a suspected
accomplice who was rushed
to St. Gerald Hospital Kaduna
under police cover.
The police said it found over
100 strands of dynamites
loaded in three sacks in the
home of the arrested
bomber, enough to cause
havoc in a few streets.
17 April 2011 Police arrest 4
foreigners after two bomb
blasts
The Kaduna State Police
Command this day paraded
four arrested foreigners and
a suspected Nigerian
accomplice after two bombs
exploded the previous night
at an interval of two hours
injuring eight and
destroying some structures
According to the then
Kaduna State Police
Commissioner, Mr. John
Haruna (now deceased), the
second explosion, which
took place near a high profile
public gathering place
around 10:30 pm that night
at Magajin Gari Sharia Court,
was a powerful bomb that
could have killed hundreds if
it had been detonated at a
busy hour.
22 April 2011 Bomb making
factory uncovered after blast
killed one.
The state Police Command
on this day took newsmen to
a bomb making shop it had
uncovered at the Rafin Guza
area of Kaduna metropolis.
The police also displayed
recovered arms from the
shop.
The late Haruna John said
eight persons had been
arrested three of whom
were critically injured during
the blast which occurred at
about 6.00pm the previous
day.
June 11, 2011 Police find
bomb at Gonin Gora market
Police Anti-Bomb Disposal
Squad on this day discovered
and detonated a live bomb in
a market place in Gonin Gora
area of Kaduna metropolis
at about 11 am.
The state police
spokesperson, DSP Aminu
Lawan, said, “it is an
explosive object discovered
by the people and they
quickly alerted us and we
were able to move to the
scene, recovered and
detonated the object
immediately”.
June 13, 2011 Bomb found
at NNPC quarters
The police on this day
recovered an explosive
lclose to the NNPC staff
quarters at Narayi, Kaduna.
“Our men were alerted to the
presence of an explosive
around 4am by the security
man”, said Kaduna State
Police Command spokesman,
DSP Amuni Lawal.
“We quickly mobilised our
team and decommissioned
the bomb. We are
investigating the matter”, he
said.
14 June 2011 Strategically
placed bomb found near
school.
On this day, a bomb,
strategically placed under a
bridge near a high profile
private secondary school
which, if exploded, could
have cut off Southern part of
Kaduna metropolises from its
North, was discovered by
the police.
The bomb was planted on a
rail track near an overhead
bridge behind Dambo
International School around
Barnawa GRA in the heart of
Kaduna city.
The officer in charge of the
Police Anti-Bomb Squad, DSP
Patrick David Effiong, who
spoke at the scene of the
discovery, said, “The
explosive is capable of
causing massive destruction
of the rails into fragments
and buildings and cutting off
the bridge”
December 6, 2011 Bomb
explosion kills 8
A shattering explosion in the
heart of Kaduna metropolis
in the morning rush hours
of this day bought down a
block of shops and
apartments, which promptly
went under smouldering
flames leading to the
agonising death of 8
February 7, 2012 Police
find, detonate bomb.
The police on this day found
a bomb in a compound and
promptly detonate the
explosive safely.The bomb
was discovered in the
Tudun Wada house of Hon.
Auwalu Ali Tafoki, a former
chairman of Kaduna South
Local Area
The discovery created panic
and anxiety making
residents of the area to
scamper for safety as it was
believed to be capable of
destroying the whole area.
however, it was expertly
detonated by men of the
Police Anti Bomb Squad
without a single casualty
recorded.
April 1 2012
Bomb kills lone bomber in
Kaduna
A lone man suspected to be
making improvised bombs
was this day killed by an
explosion at Unguwan
Muazu area of Kaduna, said
Kaduna State Police
spokesman, Deputy
Superintendent
of police(DSP) Aminu Lawal in
a telephone interview.” The
explosion happened at
Unguwan Muazu and killed a
lone person we suspect to
be making explosives. And
we mobilized our Anti-Bomb
Squad in the area. I can tell
you based on the report I
got from the place one
person died. This was
around 7pm this evening”,
he said.
April 8 2012 Suicide bomber
kills 36, injures 13.
A suicide bomber’s car laden
with a bomb accidentally
exploded at Sardauna
Crescent junction, Kaduna
after he failed to gain
entrance into the 1st ECWA
Good News Church, on Gwari
Road, not far from the point
of the incident. At least 36
people, mostly Hausa
Muslims, were killed.

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