The peace of Suleja, Niger State was cruelly rocked on Thursday as twin explosions at a Peoples Democratic Party rally in the town killed at least 13 people and injured 20 others.
About 18 other people were also said to have gone into coma as a result of the explosions.
Most of the injured victims had their limbs cut off in the explosions. Our correspondent gathered that some of the injured were members of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Nigeria Security Civil Defence Corps and other security outfits drafted to the venue of the rally.
Niger State governor, Aliyu Babangida, who was whisked away from the scene by security aides, later announced three days mourning in the state in honour of the dead and said the state would foot the bill for the treatment of the injured victims.
The Nigeria Police Force earlier in the week gave an award to the Suleja Local Government Council for being a peaceful city.
THE PUNCH gathered that unidentified persons inside a moving 18-seater bus threw the explosives, suspected to be bombs, into the crowd of PDP supporters at the fenced Government Secondary School, Kantoma.
The first explosion occurred as the rally, organised to market Senator Dahiru Kuta for another term as representative of Niger East, was rounding off.
The explosion sent party chieftains, including the Minister for Agriculture, Prof. Sheik Abdullah, scampering for safety, while Governor Aliyu Babangida was said to have been whisked away by his security aides amidst the ensuing confusion.
The second explosion was said to have rocked the spot at which the governor’s car was earlier parked.
“We saw a lot of dead bodies around the scene, with many people injured, including security agents,’’ agency reports quoted a resident and eye witness, Sani Mohammed, as saying.
An injured victim also narrated to our correspondent, “We were there when something blew. After the sound I could not see anywhere because the whole place was covered by dust.
“I saw many people injured and three people were lying dead beside me. It was a terrible thing.”
Some of the victims, especially those who lost their limbs in the incident, were rushed to the Gwagwalada Specialists Hospital in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, for treatment.
Others injured victims were said to taken to the Suleja General Hospital while the corpses of the dead victims were deposited in the hospital’s mortuary.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Richard Oguche, confirmed the incident but said the police were still investigating the development.
Also the Niger State Director-General, Media and Publicity, Mr. Adulkadir Bala, confirmed the explosions but said the governor and his entourage had left the place before they occurred.
He said the governor condemned the incident and sympathized with the victims and their families adding that the police were investigating the matter.
President Goodluck Jonathan, in a statement by his spokesman, Mr. Ima Niboro, condemned the blasts which he blamed on “enemies of proress.” Niboro said the President had directed security agencies to step up surveillance in order to prevent pilitical violence in the country.
“The President notes that a person suspected of involvement in the Suleja attack is already in custody,” the statement by Niboro said.
On October 1, 2010, twin bomb blasts similarly occurred near the Eagle Square venue of the country’s 50th Independence Anniversary, killing al least 12 persons.
In a related incident, no fewer than 20 people died in the stampede that occurred at the President Goodluck Jonathan’s rally in Port Harcourt on February 12.
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