Last Tuesday’s twin bomb blast in Jos, the Plateau State capital in
which over 150 people died and over 100 injured has again left both the
residents and state government in quandary.
The blasts which virtually caught everyone unawares have equally put
stakeholders on their toes, as they are once again in the search of solution to
the wave of insecurity in the state.
Until last Tuesday, terrorist activities in the state had reduced with
the state enjoying relative peace.
The prevailing peace was so real that the road-blocks which hitherto
dotted every part of the state had almost disappeared, a development which also
made residents to relax or so it seemed.
“Honestly, we thought that the era of bomb last had gone for good in
Plateau State.
In fact, nothing of this sort had happened since 2012 when residents
stood up to resist the last bomb attack on the people. At a point, we even
thought that the Federal Government will soon consider the possibility of
withdrawing the Special Task Force (STF) from the state and allow the people
themselves to consolidate on the prevailing peace,” a cross section of
residents told Sunday Mirror in Jos yesterday.
But last Tuesday’s bomb blasts have changed the atmosphere to a
frightening dimension.
On that fateful day, before the traders who came for the day’s business
could close their shops, the city of Jos was literally on fire, sending out
smokes of despair across the 17 local government areas in the state.
Terrorists who were suspected to be members of the heinous Boko Haram
sect, in what was later described as a coordinated attack, bombed the ever busy
Terminus Market area, close to the old site of Jos University Teaching
Hospital, JUTH.
According to witnesses, two cars wired with explosive devices had been
parked by the roadside by unknown persons in the morning with no one suspecting
that the contents were harmful .
All of a sudden, the first explosion went off around 2:45pm while the
second explosion was heard at about 25 minutes interval, a few metres away from
the scene where the first one occurred, resulting in the death of the victims
most of whom were burnt beyond recognition.
The state Commissioner of Police, Chris Olakpe, who corroborated the
witnesses’ account said he was in his office when the first blast occurred.
According to him, investigation revealed that a suicide bomber who
abandoned his car at the terminus Market axis later came back to detonate it,
adding that 30 minutes later, a sienna bus also laden with Improvised Explosive
Devices also exploded, killing more persons.
Apart from the chaos and confusion that set in immediately after the
blasts, the manner in which the victims were sent to their early graves had
particularly been condemnable
Investigation by Sunday Mirror reveal that many associations in the
state, including ethnic groups and community leaders have been busy trying to
compile the names of their members who died in the blasts.
This is even as gory testimonies of survivors, many of who are still in
critical conditions at various hospitals continue to emanate on daily basis.
As at yesterday, at the four major hospitals including Jos University
Teaching Hospital, Bingham University Teaching Hospital, Plateau Specialist
Hospital and Nigerian Airforce Hospital where most of the victims were rushed
to, doctors were seen still battling to save the lives of surviving victims who
were mostly women and children, with many of them calling for assistance from
government and public-spirited individuals.
Writhing in pains on her bed at the Bingham University Teaching
hospital, a woman, Mama Chinenye who had her five fingers cut off by the blast
narrated her experience to our reporter when he visited:
“I sell tomatoes at the market. On that day, I was attending to my two
customers-a husband and wife, when we heard a loud explosion. My two customers
died instantly. What saved me was that I went to a nearby shop to look for
‘change’ to give to my customers who were waiting for me at the shop. It was
terrible”, she said, with tears streaming down her eyes.
Another victim, David whose bed lies opposite Mama Chinenye’s, burst out
and started singing praises to God. By the time he was through, he told our
reporter: “Who says this God we serve is not alive?” He fought back tears as he
held his bandaged thigh firmly.
David, after a while, further recounted his ordeal: “I was in the market
to deliver a message to my friend who asked me to come after we spoke on phone.
The bomb threw two of us up. While I landed on a roof of a nearby shop, my
friend landed in the fire ignited by the bomb. I saw my friend roasted to
death.”
Such has been the tales since the blast even as many people have been
expressing concern over the safety of the citizens in the state.
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Society