President Goodluck Jonathan has condemned terrorist attacks in the Nigerian states of Kano, Adamawa and the the kidnap of the Lamido of Kolofata in Northern Cameroon, Lamido Seini Lamine, the wife of the Vice Prime Minister of Cameroon.
According to a statement on Monday by his Spokesman, Dr. Reuben Abati, Jonathan described as shocking, callous and reprehensible the multiple bomb blasts that occurred in Kano within 24 hours, and the unrelenting attacks by the Boko Haram at a time the Muslim faithful were observing the holy festival of Eid el Fitri.
“The President states that the abduction of the Lamido of Kolofata and the wife of the Vice premier of Cameroon clearly underscores the regional security threat that Boko Haram has become.
“He welcomes the recent resolve by the Defence Ministers of Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Benin and Niger to further strengthen existing partnerships in order to forestall the desperate attempt by misguided elements to turn the sub-region into a battleground for terrorism and radical extremism”, he said.
President Jonathan was reacting to two female suicide bombers that blew themselves up, killing three persons and injuring 10 others, on Monday in Kano, Kano State, thereby bringing the total number of attacks this week in the metropolis to five.
One of the blasts occurred when a woman detonated low-calibre explosives packed to her torso at a petrol station in the Hotoro area on the outskirts of the city, targeting women who had lined up to buy kerosene, Kano State Police Spokesman, Musa Magaji Majia told Agence France Presse (AFP).
He added that 10 victims were rushed to the hospital after the blast that went off at roughly 10:30 a.m. and that three had died.
Hotoro area resident, Shehu Mudi said he saw burning jerry cans and ambulances carting away victims minutes after the blast.
About three hours after the petrol station blast, another female bomber approached the Trade Fair Complex in a key commercial district, according to Kano State Police Commissioner Aderele Shinaba.
She was stopped at the gate and blew herself up, he added.
“It was the same modus operandi,” Shinaba said. “Six people were injured, including two (police) officers.”
In a related development, the military on Sunday intercepted Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) which were concealed in a truck conveying cattle from Baga and arrested 15 suspects in connection with the crime.
According to a military source in Maiduguri yesterday, the arrested suspects had allegedly disguised as cattle merchants from Camerounian border areas of Borno State and travelling to either Onitsha or Port Harcourt.
The source added the intercepted IEDs could have been “very devastating,” if detonated, stressing ,”we thank God for making us intercept the truck loaded with explosives and aimed at destroying lives.”
