Nigerians have condemned the explosion that occurred at the busy Nyanya Mass Transit Park, popularly called ‘El-Rufai Park’, Monday morning. The police said that 71 persons died and 124 others were injured.
The Nyanya Park, at a suburb of Abuja, is a transit point for residents of Mararaba, Jikwoyi, Karu, Kpegeyi, Kurudu, One Man Village, New Karu, New Nyanya and other satellite communities of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The park is used by vehicles belonging to Abuja Mass Transit Company and inter-city transporters.
After the explosion, which occurred about 6.55 a.m., several dead bodies and human parts littered the ground in and around the park.
At 10 a.m., more than 100 victims of the blast, made up of the dead and the injured, had been deposited at the National Hospital, Rabia Labaran, an assistant information officer at the hospital, said.
No group has claimed responsibility for the blast, but suspicion falls on Boko Haram Islamist group that has carried out similar attacks in the past.
Frank Mba, a CSP and the police public relations officer, who spoke on behalf of security services involved in the rescue operation, said that those injured were receiving treatment in hospitals within Nyanya and other parts of the FCT.
“As I earlier told you, 16 luxurious buses were torched and 24 vehicles of assorted make were equally damaged. In order to help families of the bereaved, the security agencies are working in collaboration with hospitals,” Mba said.
“We are equally encouraging most of the hospitals to establish information centres. That will help relatives, friends to be able to get relevant information on where the dead bodies had been deposited or where the injured persons are currently receiving treatment,” he added.
Mba explained that the rescue operation was jointly carried out with all security agencies and other stakeholders, including the National Emergency Agency, State Security Service, Civil Defence Corps and the military, adding, “We will all continue to coordinate our operations, coordinate our investigation for the safety of all Nigerians.”
A witness, Dalhatu Garba, told an online newswire that the explosive device that went off at Nyanya motor park was hidden in a Volkswagen Golf vehicle that was driven into the park and detonated.
A stockbroker, Abbas Adamu, said four of his friends died in the explosion.
According to Adamu, “I have never seen something like this in my entire life. My friends told me this morning that they were going to Kaduna and because I was also going to Kaduna in my car, I told them to wait for me at the park so that we go together. But I asked them to enter the park and not wait under the bridge because road safety and VIO (Vehicle Inspection Officers) officials usually disturb along the road under the bridge.
“Seconds later, I heard a loud explosion; in fact, I can’t explain because I felt something like electric shock inside the car, and as I speak to you now, my friends are all dead.”
Meanwhile, President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday urged Nigerians to be conscious and observant of possible security threat around them to reduce incidences of terror attacks.
The president gave the advice when he visited the scene of the early morning bomb attack at Nyanya motor park in Abuja.
Jonathan, who was accompanied by Senate President David Mark, underscored the need for the media and relevant government and private establishments to initiate security enlightenment programmes.
“We want to use this unique opportunity to plead with the media and our great men and women to come up with enlightenment programme for our people. Those countries that face terror, they have developed great awareness,” the president said.
“If there are unusual movement of vehicles and bags, they call on security and based on this, a lot of incidences are contained. So we believe that if people will become observant and all of us become security conscious by the movement of people, we will be able to reduce some of these incidences”, he added.
The president also visited the General Hospital, Asokoro, where some of the injured victims of the blast were receiving treatment.
Abba Moro, minister of interior; Adamu Mu’azu, PDP national chairman; Sambo Dasuki, national security adviser; Alex Barde, chief of defence staff; other service chiefs, and Mohammed Abubakar, inspector-general of police, were at the scene.
Reacting to the incident, Senate President David Mark condemned the Nyanya blast, admonishing the perpetrators to have a rethink because they were fighting a needless war, a statement said.
The statement signed by Kola Ologbondiyan, the special adviser on media and publicity to the Senate president, quoted Mark as saying, “It is hard to believe that this is happening to us. No matter the anger or grievances in anybody’s mind, this war on defenceless citizens is uncalled for. This is inhuman and unarguably ungodly.”
The statement said Mark had to call off his planned trip to attend the 100th birthday celebrations of the Olubadan, Oba Samuel Odugade I, in Ibadan, in honour of the victims.
The leadership of the House of Representatives condemned the blast. Speaker Aminu Tambuwal and his deputy, Emeka Ihedioha, in separate statements obtained by BusinessDay described the attack as cowardly and barbaric.
Tambuwal, who expressed concern over the spate of insecurity in the country, stressed the need for security agencies and Nigerians to synergise in the bid to end the spate of wanton killings in the country.
The speaker, who condemned the pattern of previous attacks in the country, urged the security agencies to beef up surveillance around motor parks and related areas all over the federation.
On his part, Ihedioha, who condemned in strong terms the morning blast, noted that perpetrators of the blast have committed a mindless, heinous and unwarranted wickedness against innocent lives that have been cut short in another unexplainable orgy of bloodletting.
He, therefore, urged security agencies to go the extra mile to bring those behind the dastardly act to book while offering deep condolences to the families that have lost loved ones and those injured in the unfortunate incident.
Ibrahim Gusau, chairman, House Committee on ICT, who condemned the barbaric act, emphasised the need for adequate funding of security in the bid to ensure safety of lives and property.
Diezani Alison-Madueke, the minister of petroleum resources, on Monday cancelled her meeting with the ministry’s heads of parastatals and journalists due to the Nyanya explosion.
The minister, who announced the cancellation to the waiting gathering, expressed sadness over what she described as “an unfortunate incident”. According to her, there is the need to “give honour to the dead”.
Delegates at the National Conference on Monday condemned the Nyanya blast and unanimously called for the full implementation of the Gaji Galmatiri Committee report on Boko Haram insurgency.
This followed a motion sponsored by a delegate, Modibbo Kawu, and 19 others who lamented the bomb blast.
Femi Falana (SAN) said it was important to go beyond condemnation to calling on the Federal Government to implement fully the profound report of the Galmatiri Committee.
Dan Nwanyanwu of the Labour Party, in his contribution to the debate, said, “Let it be decided that this conference condemns the killing of Nigerian people by criminals or whatever name they are called and that this conference should take further and immediate steps to deal with this insurgency so that Nigerians would not be dying like chicken.”
KEHINDE AKINTOLA, TEDDY NWANUNOBI & HARRISON EDEH
