Kano State has been thrown into pandemonium as a bomb went off at New
Road, Sabon Gari area of the city. A witness said that the bomb exploded
at the hub of a commercial Luxury Bus park usually filled with
commuters going from Kano to the South.
Another witness said an Improvised Explosive Device, IED, was planted
near the park causing one of the buses to go up in flames.
A recent report showed that four dead bodies have been brought in to the
accident and emergency ward of Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital and
many men, women and children wounded.
Recent report claims that over 60 passengers were killed while dozens
got injured following the explosion.
Several other casualties have also been evacuated to other hospitals
across the town for emergency treatment.
The blast affected both passengers in the bus that was about to exit the
park and many others within the vicinity of the park.
The blast caused a stampede with many people getting hurt and cars
crashing.
Details are still sketchy with some sources saying the explosion
emanated from a car parked beside the bus while others claim it was from
within the bus.
When contacted, the spokesperson of the Police in Kano, Magaji Majiya,
confirmed the incident. He however, said he has not gotten the full
details.
The area has now been cordoned off by soldiers and police officers.
At the moment, no one can confirm the status of casualties in this
attack as effort to contact the police or JTF was not successful as at
the time of compiling this report, however residents say the area was
combed by JTF.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but Boko Haram, which
has frequently attacked the city, was a prime suspect. A spokesman for
security forces in Kano state, Ikedehia Iwehia, said dead and wounded
were being evacuated.
The sect often targets Christians.
“I ran for my dear life and managed to get out of the park after the
second blast. Many people are lying dead. See, my clothes are covered in
blood,” said witness Ibrahim Bello, holding up a blood-soaked shirt.
A reporter who was at the scene counted 25 bodies. However, Channels TV
reports that 60 people were killed and dozens were injured.
A member of Igbo traditional council in Kano, Tobias Idika, who
confirmed the explosion to Channels TV said there were over 200 people
in the bus.
“IED was kept inside the luxurious bus which was about to leave Kano to
Lagos, people were frying like chicken here and you know there are over
two hundred people in this bus when the two IEDs exploded,” he was
quoted as saying.
The area has now been cordoned off by Military and Policemen. No group
has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.
