3 days to Christmas: Suicide bombers hit Kano •2 die in Airtel, MTN attack •Fire causes panic in Kaduna

 TWO suspected suicide bombers lost their lives on Saturday during an attempt to bomb offices of telecommunications giants, Airtel and MTN in Kano State.
The incident, in which a security guard with Airtel also sustained injuries, threw residents of Kano, especially those expecting to have a crisis-free Yuletide, into apprehension.

Blast site

Vigilant security operatives were said to have averted what could have been a devastating attack in the early hours of Saturday when the terrorists, in separate attacks, stormed the two communications outfits.
The first attack on Airtel at Niger Street in the popular area of Malakato threw the entire area into confusion, as people who had arrived for early business ran for safety shortly after the suicide bomber missed his target and blew himself up in his Honda Accord operational car.
The development also triggered panicky closure of shops and other places of business in the city.
Another suicide bomber, who made for the MTN office located at Dakata in Bompai area in the outskirts of Kano metropolis, was allegedly unaware that members of the Joint Task Force (JTF) were watching.
His movement was said to have been repelled by the military men, a development that made his car to hit a pole close to the office’s brick fence. The car was said to have exploded on impact, killing the occupant immediately.
As of the time of filling this report, some major roads, including Hadejia road, were blocked by security operatives for security checks, while Beirut road, leading to Kano’s corporate business area of Ibrahim Taiwo and Civic Centre were cordoned off by operatives of the JTF.
Security men were also said to be raiding the areas for possible arrest of suspected terrorists and evacuation of abandoned explosives.
The police and the JTF said apart from the two suicide bombers who died in the operations, no casualty was recorded in the incidents.
Speaking to Sunday Tribune on the telephone, the JTF spokesman, Lieutenant Ikedichi Iweha, said the attacker at the Airtel office was shot dead by security personnel manning the entry of the communication outfit as he drove suspiciously into the premises, adding  that the vehicle exploded thereafter with the suspect trapped in it.
Iwehia added that the one heading towards the MTN rammed into the office’s fence and his car exploded killing him on the spot.
While also confirming the development, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, commended the security men at Airtel for their gallantry.
Meanwhile, as a result of the development, security has been beefed up at every nook and cranny of the state. It was observed that more military men were deployed in streets of Kano.
Meanwhile, a fire outbreak occurred near UBA along Kachia road in Kaduna on Saturday.
The fire outbreak, which affected the moribund Arewa Textile Limited, caused panic in the area, even as some people spread rumour that it was another terrorist attack.
The fire was, however, contained by fire fighters stationed at the Kakuri Industrial Area of the state.
Although there was no statement from authorities regarding the inferno, journalists were told that normalcy had returned to the area as people were seen going about their normal businesses without any fear.
There was no report of any casualty and the cause of the fire, which lasted for some minutes, was yet to be known as of the time of filing this report.

Tribune