As Kaduna sought to recover from the suicide
bombing of St. Rita Catholic Church, the fear of reprisals and anxiety
paralysed social and economic activities in the city. Our correspondent who
went round the city said traders refused to open shops while buyers stayed away
from markets.
Eight worshippers were killed and over 100
injured in the suicide bombing which took place on Sunday. In the aftermath of
the bombing, a mob believed to be Christian, reportedly carried out reprisals
killing seven persons. Although the Kaduna State Government sought to debunk
reports that there were killings, residents who were afraid that youths from
both religions could cause mayhem stayed at home.
Some schools in the city were also shut while
activities were reportedly low key at higher institutions like the Kaduna State
University and the Kaduna Polytechnic.
The AFP reported that soldiers patrolled
the streets and mounted checkpoints where passers-by and motorists were
frisked. Residents said that roadblocks were mounted around the scene of the
blast and two volatile communities of Goni-Gora and Tudun-Wada.
“There has been heavy military deployment since
yesterday following the attack. This morning (Monday) two armoured personnel
carriers and more troops arrived in these areas,” said Emmanuel Mayaki, a
resident of Goni-Gora.
Military spokesman Colonel Sani Usman told AFP
the heavy presence of troops was “to restore law and order.”
Christian mobs had roamed the area near the
church in the Malali neighbourhood on Sunday after the attack, targeting people
they presumed to be Muslims, including one man who was burnt alive.
Another resident, Mr Bako Sunday, had told the News
Agency of Nigeria that tension had heightened in the city.
“We are afraid of further violence by irate
youths because we have yet to fully recover from the June bomb-blast
reprisals,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Chief Medical Director of the
Barau Dikko Specialists Hospital, Dr. Baduku Tokan, on Monday said 38 out of
the 97 victims brought to the hospital after the terror attack were children.
He also told Governor Patrick Yakowa, who visited the hospital,
that four of the victims had died.
Tokan said, “About 97 people were presented
yesterday (Sunday) and many of them were treated. And as I said earlier, 40 per
cent of the total number (97) were children. But many were stable
and they went back home.
“About 25 people were admitted and we have four
corpses in this centre. We don’t know of other centres. Two people were
operated yesterday (Sunday) and as you see them now, they are stable. Right
now, we have 25 people on admission and everybody looks stable.
“We thank God. If you compare the number of
people that came yesterday (Sunday) and those that died, we appreciate God that
the casualty figure was not as bad as we thought it was going to be.”
He commended the International Red Cross Society
for assisting the victims, adding that 30 medical doctors mobilised for the
treatment of victims of the attack.
Our correspondent, who went round the Barau Dikko
Specialists Hospital and other hospitals where victims were taken to, observed
that at the St. Gerard Catholic Hospital, of the 14 victims admitted on the day
of the attack, two had been discharged.
Out of the 35 victims received at the 44 Army
Reference Hospital, three had died. At the Garkuwan Hospital where 14 victims
were admitted, one died while six were treated and discharged.
Only the Parish Priest, Reverend Father Mathew
Bonny, was admitted at the high brow Multi-Clinic in Ungwan Rimi, Kaduna. He
too, was said to be responding to treatment.
The National Emergency Management Agency
confirmed that some of the victims taken to the various hospitals in the state
were responding to treatment.
The agency, in a statement by Baba Ali, noted
that over 20 people had been discharged from the hospitals.
Yakowa sought divine intervention on the
spate of bombings in the state and parts of the North. Yakowa, who just
returned from his investment drive to Japan, was moved to tears when he
saw victims of the blast in the hospital.
A three-year-old boy caught his
attention. He was in great pain. All the boy kept saying to his grandmother
was ‘malt’, a request the governor quickly granted. Within minutes, a
bottle of malt drink was brought to him.
As the little boy was sipping the malt drink amid
pains, Yakowa and the Archbishop of the Catholic Diocese, Kaduna, Bishop Mathew
Ndagoso, offered prayers for him.
The governor warned that if the people of the
North fail to halt the incessant terrorist attacks on the region, it would face
retrogression in terms of development soon.
At the Government House, Yakowa said that the
acts of terrorism in the North had been a great setback to the region.
“Let us all join hands in bringing an end to this
act of terrorism. We must bring an end to the destruction of life and property
of innocent Nigerians. For me, I feel so sad each time this thing happens and
this is a very sad moment for me; but we thank God because it could have been
worse.
“We must all join hands and ensure that we expose
and flush out these evil people among us. All these challenges will not
distract us from developing the state.
“Never in the history of the state have we faced
these challenges, but we remain unshaken. We remain focused and determined to
succeed in ensuring quality life for our people.”
Also, Ndagoso, who spoke at the media briefing
was full of appreciation to the state government for footing the hospital bills
of all those who were being treated in the hospitals.
Meanwhile, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad
Sa’ad Abubakar, on Monday expressed shock over the Sunday terror attack on the
church.
The Sultan, who is the President-General of the
Jama’atu Nasril Islam, in a statement by the Secretary-General of the organisation,
Dr. Khalid Aliyu, said, “It is our prayer that the perpetrators behind
the act will never succeed in causing chaos in Kaduna.
“However, we implore the security agents to be
more vigilant and intensify measures at curbing this dastardly act of bombings.
As for those affected, we pray for a better return of what they have lost and
the families of those who lost their lives, may Allah grant them fortitude to
bear the loss.”
The Punch
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