UPDATE ON ABUJA PLAZA: Abuja Blast Kills 21. Read How It All Went Down

Suspected members of the Islamist militant sect, Boko Haram, on Wednesday detonated another bomb at the   EMAB Plaza,   one of the busiest shopping complexes, in Abuja.

The explosion is the third in the Federal Capital Territory in the last two months. On April 14, 2014, a bomb blast at Nyanya, Abuja, killed 71 people and injured 124.

Another blast in Nyanya , a satellite settlement near Abuja, on May 1, 2014, killed 19 people and injured 60.

The   Wednesday   bomb went off   around 4.10pm   in front of the mall   adjacent to a very busy mosque where many Muslims had gone to observe   the Asri (4pm prayer).

Although eyewitnesses put the casualty figure at 30, the Force Public Relations Officer,  Frank Mbah, told journalists at the scene that 21 people   died and 17 were injured.

Mba’s figures were however contradicted by the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Bala Mohammed, who said that 12 people were killed while 35 were injured.

Mba had also said that the explosion destroyed 17 vehicles outside and within the complex.

The   Managing Editor, Northern Operations of the New Telegraph, Suleiman

Bisalla,   is one of the dead victims.

Eight others believed to be drivers were burnt in their vehicles.

Mbah said,   “We just want to confirm the fact that there was a blast at the Emab Plaza, Wuse , Abuja, this afternoon.   As soon as the incident occurred, security agents moved into the scene, we cordoned it off and initiated actions targeted at saving lives.

“The casualty figure for now is 21 dead, 17 injured and 17 vehicles burnt. If there are any changes later on we will inform you.

“It is also heart-warming to note that an arrest has been made and security agencies would follow up on that arrest .

“The building is still an active crime scene and it has been cordoned off. Investigation has commenced.

“The police bomb disposal squad working in conjunction with other security agencies has already commenced investigation.

“We have equally taken measures to secure the critical infrastructure and all the goods here, and we are assuring the traders and members of the public that we will put adequate security in place to ensure that there is no pilfering.

“We will intensify surveillance and monitoring of plazas, shopping malls and all the open markets. We had previously commenced this action, and we are not doing that because this explosion has taken place today.

“We have already begun to fortify all the soft targets within the FCT, and we will continue to do everything humanly possible to secure all our businesses and facilities within the FCT.’’

An eyewitness, who had blood stain on his blue shirt, told one of our correspondents that the intensity of the blast was such that many of those killed had their bodies completely dismembered.

Our correspondents also saw some body parts opposite the plaza , including the private parts of a man whose body was among those moved to the mortuary.

Two suspects killed, one arrested However,   soldiers killed one of the suspects and arrested another   when they were escaping from the scene on a power bike.

Another suspect, who was gathering human parts at the scene , was also killed.

The soldiers, who were led by the Commander, Guards Brigade, Brigadier Anothony Omozoje, were said to have fired   at the   bike     when the suspects who were fleeing, refused to obey their order   to stop.

It was gathered that the arrested suspect   was taken to the Guards Brigade Hospital at Asokoro, Abuja, for   treatment.

Investigation further revealed that   an unexploded bomb in the custody of the suspected bombers was defused by the soldiers.

The   blast, according to the witnesses, was so strong that it destroyed   some structures and the windows of others   directly opposite the mall.

The explosive also dug a big crater in front of the complex which also serves as the car park for visitors to the popular shopping complex.

An eyewitness, Gimbya Jafaru, said, “I heard a loud blast, it shattered the windows of the shop. We ran out. A lot of people ran too, some with blood stains.’’

“We heard a really loud noise and the building shook, and people started screaming and running out. We saw the smoke and people covered in blood. It was just chaos,” Chiamaka Oham, who was also near the site of the blast, told the British Broadcasting Corporation.

Another witness   said that his driver was killed in the blast.

“I was in the complex when I saw that the ground was shaking. I saw my driver dead and a lot of casualties,” he added.

The Coordinator of the National Information Centre,   Mike Omeri, confirmed that one of the suspects   was arrested.

Omeri, in a statement,   advised residents of the FCT to remain calm, avoid the location of the explosion and go about their normal business.

He expressed the sympathy of the Federal Government to the families of those that lost their lives   and wished the injured speedy recovery.

The spokesman for the National Emergency Management Agency, Manzo Ezekiel, said, “You can see smoke billowing. It’s a very crowded place.”

FCT minister condemns attack as savagery

The FCT minister told journalists at the Maitama General Hospital that 35 survivors and 12 dead bodies were brought to the Emergency Department of the hospital.

Mohammed, who described the attack as ‘‘savagery,’’ said, “The number of casualty is not what the police said.

Rather than 21 that they told us, what we have is only 12.

Happily, it is not up to that number but 35 are on emergency.

“So you can see that there is a simultaneous increase in the number of those injured as distinct from what we were told by the security agencies.

“Definitely the number of those confirmed dead by the hospital authorities in Abuja is only 12 and 35 under emergency service .”

The minister also reassured Nigerians that government had put in place security measures in all public places in Abuja.

He said, “We have come up with the minimum security requirements for all public areas, service providers and markets.

“I am sure that it has started working because the detonation was done on the road corridor.

“And unfortunately, some of the subject’s targets were affected. They are also those we are trying to say they should not hawk along the road maybe because of social circumstances they were caught in the way and they died.

“We are beefing up and developing our security protocol and we insist and enforce that you must have a clinic, you must have a shopping mall, you must have a hospital, anywhere that the public will go, you must have this minimum security and gadgets that we put in place.

“We once again regret and commiserate with the families of those affected and with all Nigerians and we condemn it in its entirety.”

The minister had visited the blast scene with the FCT Minister of State, Olajumoke Akinjide.

He told journalists   that the FCT Administration would give the necessary support to security agencies in the task of securing and protecting soft targets from attacks.

Mohammed also   commiserated “with the families and indeed all Nigerians who are affected by this gruesome incident. Security agencies had been working to protect soft targets before this incident.”

He added, “The bombers might have successfully attacked open markets but for the efforts of security agencies. I will now visit the hospitals to see the victims. Minimal security infrastructure are being deployed in public places. We condemn this act of savagery. We will continue to support security services.

“We are going to ensure we develop the capacity to make sure we really do what we should do.”

Relatives of victims besiege Maitama, national hospitals

Security operatives had a Herculean task controlling the   crowd at the Maitama General Hospital where some injured victims, including two pregnant women,   were taken to.

At the National Hospital   where seven dead bodies were taken to, one of our correspondents also saw seven people who were severely burnt being attended to by nurses and doctors at the emergency ward.

Relatives of the victims besieged the hospital in a bid to identify the deceased and those hospitalised.

A few persons, who confirmed some dead victims as their relatives, cried uncontrollably while sympathisers struggled to calm them.

The hospital’s spokesperson, Dr. Tayo Haastrup,   said, “Seven dead bodies were brought here. Seven injured persons were also brought here and two of them are in very critical conditions.”

A detachment of about 10 armed police officers were sent to the National Hospital to control the crowd and restore calm.

Officials of the Department of State Services commenced the identification of persons who thronged the hospital and walked out those who could not provide valid explanation on   why they were in the hospital.

Editor’s body seen at Maitama Hospital mortuary

The body of the Managing Editor, Northern Operations   of the New Telegraph was found at the Maitama Hospital mortuary.

His elder brother, Mohammed Bisalla, told one of our correspondents that the remains of the journalist would be buried in Abuja on Thursday(today).

He said. “We have lost Bisalla. He died in the bomb blast. We found his corpse inside the Maitama hospital mortuary.

‘‘It is bad. I’m his elder brother. We would bury him in Abuja on Thursday.”

I want my three sisters alive

– Survivor

Also at the   Maitama hospital, a survivor, simply identified herself as Martha, said she had yet to see her three sisters.

“I went to collect oranges and as I did   and waited for a taxi,   I heard the explosion. It was that same place that my three sisters were sitting. I want my three sisters alive”, she lamented.

Martha, who was wailing profusely ,said all efforts to reach them on their telephone lines had been unsuccessful.

Another eyewitness, Abdulrahman Ibrahim, said he was in the Uthman Ibn Affan Mosque opposite Emab Plaza, when he heard the explosion.

He said, “I quickly ran out of the mosque and saw some people on fire running up and down. There were pieces of human parts all over the mosque premises and the glass windows of the mosque and vehicles were shattered. I saw about 10 dead bodies on the ground.

“One man in a car was injured and there was so much blood in his car. I was the one that took him to the hospital. I saw one girl whose mother was killed in the explosion.”

Ibrahim added that the mosque, which was inaugurated last Sunday, was damaged.

Explosion also in Adamawa market

In Mubi, Adamawa State, there was pandemonium   following an explosion in the busy Lumo Kuturu Market along the Ahmadu Bello Way, also on Wednesday.

While the state Police Commissioner, John Abakasanga, on Wednesday, said that the blast occurred when an Improvised Explosive Device was thrown at a police patrol team, one of our correspondents gathered that it was a gas cylinder explosion.

Abakasanga said that no casualty was recorded but The PUNCH learnt that a man lost his life to the incident.

The police boss,who told the News Agency of Nigeria that no arrest had been made, added   the area had been cordoned off for proper investigation.

The commissioner said apart from the affected area there was calm in other parts of the town with people going about their normal activities.

But a resident who declined to give his name said people scampered for safety thinking that the explosion which “occurred when a gas cylinder fell off   a moving vehicle belonging to a new generation bank” was the handiwork of the Islamist militant sect, Boko Haram.

A sources at   the General Hospital, Mubi, said the lone victim died of cardiac arrest.

About three weeks ago, a bomb blast near a football field in the town killed about 20 people.