News Update
Two persons were killed in a suspected bomb explosion that occurred on Monday at an Islamiyya school located at Kuchibiyu community in the Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
Two other persons who were injured were said to have been rushed to Kubwa General Hospital.
The bodies of the deceased, identified as Harisu and Najibu Ibrahim, were also deposited at the hospital’s morgue.
Kuchibiyu is an agrarian community located in the outskirts of Kubwa, Abuja.
The FCT Police Command said the incident involved a suspected bomb explosion that occurred at approximately 11:00 AM at the Tsangayar Sani Uthman.
The spokesperson of the command, Josephine Adeh, in a statement, said upon receiving a distress call from the Sarkin Kuchibiyu, a team of police operatives, including the Command’s Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) team and the Area Commander of Kubwa, swiftly mobilized to the scene.
She said the area was immediately cordoned off to protect residents and facilitate a thorough investigation.
She said during the rescue operation, victims were promptly evacuated and rushed to the hospital for medical attention.
She said preliminary investigations revealed that three men from Katsina had visited the owner of the Islamic school, Mallam Adamu Ashimu.
Some of the victims of the explosion at a Almajiri Tsangayar School, Kuchibuyi community, Kubwa, Abuja, on Monday
“The three visitors are suspected of having brought the explosive device with them. Tragically, two of the men died in the explosion while tampering with the improvised explosive device (IED), on the school Veranda, while the third man and a female trader sustained severe injuries and are currently receiving treatment under police guard,” Adeh stated.
She said the FCT Bomb Squad had confirmed that it was an IED explosion, as remnants of the device had been recovered.
She said the owner of the school, Mallam Ashimu, had been taken into custody for questioning.
The spokesperson of the command said further findings would be communicated in due course.
She said the Commissioner of Police in the FCT, Olatunji Disu urged members of the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity, behaviour or items that may resemble IEDs to the police via emergency numbers: 0806 158 1938, 0803 200 3913, 0802 894 0883, 0705 733 7653, CRU: 0810 731 4192 and PCB: 0902 222 2352
The command, in its safety advice for FCT residents, urged them to stay alert and be aware of their surroundings and report any unusual behaviour or items to the authorities.
“Do not touch suspicious objects; keep emergency contact numbers handy and ensure their family members are aware of them; and collaborate with their neighbors to maintain a safe environment,” she said.
How the incident happened – Victim
One of the injured persons, Fauziyya Iliya, 13, narrated the incident from her hospital bed.
She said Harisu called her in front of the school where the students usually buy soya bean cake (awara) from her.
“He introduced a small object to me which he said he found from a mountain close to the school. He told me to take it and give him N200, or awara, for the object, which I declined.
“He then jokingly threatened to take N100 worth of awara from me, and kept the object behind a plastic rubber where I usually displayed my awara. I immediately noticed that the bucket got broken. He pushed his hand towards the bucket in an attempt to pick the item, only to see him fall down. I attempted to flee the scene, but could not do that apart from crawling.
“The object broke into pieces, injuring my two legs and one hand; while the person that brought it got one of his hands cut off.’’
Fauzziya’s mother, Salamatu Lawal, who was at the hospital, said she heard the explosion from their home.
She said: “We heard the loud sound of the explosion and on coming out of the house, I saw my daughter running towards home along with one of the other injured persons, named Abba.
“They demanded water to drink but we declined. They also asked us to pour water on their bodies which we did. I also sighted one person lying lifelessly at the scene of the incident.”
The secretary to the Chief of Kuchibiyu, Malam Yusuf Alkali, said the school was established about four years ago and donated for the teaching of students known as almajirai.
The chairman of Bwari Area Council, John Gabaya, confirmed the incident, saying he saw one of the dead bodies when he visited the scene.
He said the explosion occurred at a school and affected some of the students brought in a few days ago by a Malam from Katsina.
He said, “I went on a visit and the Malam said he was the one that brought them and I asked the DPO to immediately take the Malam that brought those students from Katsina so that he could interrogate him.
“But at the scene, one person died instantly. The three other persons were rushed to the hospital.
“There were four, according to what the Malam said. There is one other girl that was selling ‘awara’; she was selling food for the students when it exploded. She was also affected,” Gabaya said.
Past bomb explosions in Abuja
There had been several incidents of bombings in Abuja and its environs since 2010.
The first incident, which occurred on October 1, 2010 during Nigeria’s 50th Independence Day celebrations when two vehicle bombs exploded near the Eagle Square in Abuja, recorded 12 deaths and 17 injuries. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) later claimed responsibility for the attack.
There was another one on June 16, 2011 when a suicide bomber targeted the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters in Abuja, killing two people, including the bomber and a traffic officer. Boko Haram terrorists later claimed responsibility for the bombing
On August 26, 2011, a suicide bomber struck at the United Nations (UN) building in Abuja, leaving 21 people dead and many others injured.
Thirty five persons were reportedly killed and many others in the Christmas Day bombing of St Theresa’s Church at Madalla, which is in Niger State but just about 10 kilometres to the FCT. The incident happened during a church service. The Boko Haram sect also claimed to have carried out the attack.
In the early hours of April 14, 2014, two bombs exploded at a crowded bus station at Nyanya in Abuja, leaving 88 persons dead and about 200 other injured.