– 2 Soldiers, Policeman, 8 others Killed in Attacks in Bauchi
Explosions rocked two places of worship in Bauchi on Sunday. The explosions occurred between 2.30 a.m. and 3 a.m. at the worship centres at Railway and Fadaman Mada areas.
Mr Chidi Chukwunta, an official of one of the centres, said that the blast destroyed the ceiling of the building and a part of the fence.
“There was no casualty apart from the damages done to the structure but our members are now scared.
Mr Henry Ogbozor, a resident of Fadaman Mada whose house is adjacent to one of the centres, said that the intensity of the blast destroyed his glass windows but that no member of his family was injured.
The blast at the second centre also destroyed a portion of the wall.
The Commissioner of Police in Bauchi State, Mr Ikechukwu Aduba, confirmed the blasts.
He said that some unknown persons had also attacked Tafawa Balewa Town in Bauchi State in the early hours of Sunday but that the attackers were repelled.
“There was a blast at the worship centre which affected the wall. Some unknown persons also launched an attack on Tafawa Balewa Town but were repelled. Details of the incidents would be made available to you later,” Aduba said.
The Bauchi blasts came barely 48 hours after similar attacks in Kano in which many people lost their lives.
Meanwhile the Bauchi State Police Command has confirmed that its Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in Charge of Tafawa Balewa, two soldiers and eight civilians were killed on Sunday in early morning explosions and robbery attacks.
The Commissioner of Police, Mr Ikechukwu Aduba, who made the confirmation at a news conference, said both incidents occurred in Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area of the state and Bauchi metropolis.
He said the deceased were killed when gunmen, suspected to be armed robbers attacked a check-point, a hotel and a First Bank of Nigeria branch in Bununu District of Bauchi Local Government Area as well as a police station in Tafawa Balewa town.
Aduba explained that the DPO and a soldier as well as the eight civilians were killed in Tafawa Balewa town, while another soldier was killed at a check-point at Liman Katagum, manned by a combined team of military and police personnel.
He said 10 unexploded Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), described by bomb experts as “surface blasting explosives,” were recovered at the scenes of the explosions, while six persons had so far been arrested in connection with the attacks.
Aduba said three IED explosions occurred at two places of worship at the railway and Fadama Mada areas of Bauchi metropolis.
He said the explosions caused “minimal damage” to some parts of the fence and roof of the two places of worship, while the louvers of the adjoining houses were affected by the vibrations.
The commissioner appealed to the public to assist the police with useful inform in their ongoing investigation.
He dismissed speculations that the Tafawa Balewa attack was carried out by the Boko Haram sect, stressing that “it was an armed robbery attack that was foiled by security agents”.