SULEJA, in Niger State, was the location of yet another bomb attack that left one man seriously injured and five vehicles destroyed on Sunday.
It is believed that the target of the attack was a nearby Christ Embassy church, as a car parked not too far from the church on Morocco Road exploded just after service began at 10am local time.The incident threw the town into confusion.
Soldiers later cordoned off the area, patrolling in large numbers.
Chairman of the National Emergency Management Agency, Alhaji Mohammed Shaba, said that the agency had mobilized to the scene of the blast.
“We will be responsible for the treatment of the injured persons,” he said, adding that the agency would also speak those who might have lost valuables as a result of the blast to provide them financial assistance.
The state Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Ibrahim Maishanu, also confirmed the incident, stressing that one person was injured as a result of the blast which affected vehicles nearby.
“I am at present on my way to Suleja to assess things for myself,” he said.
Officials have said that Niger State, especially Suleja, has been infiltrated by members of the criminal Islamic sect popularly known asBoko Haram. Its activities have, however, been largely confined to the far North and North-East.
The pastor of Christ Embassy Church, Uyi Idugboe, said one of the members had spotted a suspicious looking package between two cars when he went outside to check whether his vehicle was locked. He then alerted everyone to stay indoors.
“The blast struck just a few minutes after our service started at 10a.m. When we were alerted, about 25 minutes before the explosion, we called everybody inside the church.
“That is why we dont have casualties,” he said. Idugboe, however, declined to comment on whether the church was the target of the attack.
“We promptly alerted the police and the military to come to our rescue,” Idugboe added.
The pastor noted that the explosion occurred before the arrival of the security personnel, saying that it was a divine intervention that saved them from the blast.
Dr Okoye Chukwudi, a medical doctor at the Suleja General Hospital, said that the victims were responding to treatment.
One person with serious injuries had been transferred to the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital in Gwagwalada, according to Dr. Chukwudi. One of the victims, Malam Nasiru Yusuf, said that he was standing close to the church when some people shouted bomb blast, adding that he later found himself in the hospital.
Reacting to the situation, Alhaji Yunusa Adamu, the Chairman, Suleja Local Government Council, pledged that the government would fish out the perpetrators of the dastardly act and bring them to book. He expressed concern over the security situation in the area and urged the residents to be extra vigilant, while reporting any suspicious movement or character to the security agencies. An eyewitness, Mrs Edith Eze, said that the explosion, which occurred in front of her shop around 10 a.m., also destroyed five vehicles belonging to members of the Divine Favour Ministry.
Eze expressed sadness over the incident and called on the Federal Government to intensify efforts to bring this disturbing situation to an end. Also speaking, an officer of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), who pleaded anonymity, said that the explosion occurred during a church service in the morning and injured five persons who were rushed to the Suleja General Hospital for treatment.
The leader of the team of police officers, who visited the scene, also said that five persons, who were wounded in the blast, had been taken to the hospital. The police officer, who refused to be identified, however, said that no arrest had been made but stressed that investigations had since commenced.