Kaduna State Governor Nasiru el-Rufai has said security forces in the state detected the presence of the suicide bombers, who killed about 40 people in Zaria, through their tracking system.
An explosion believed to be carried out by a female suicide bomber in the Sabon Gari Local Government Area of Kaduna State on Tuesday disrupted the verification exercise of teachers leaving about 40 people dead and many injured.
According to el-Rufai, the telephones of the bombers, believed to be Boko Haram members, which were used in tracking them were switched off in Zaria, making it impossible for the security forces to locate them.
el-Rufai made the disclosure while delivering a talk at the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Programme Booth Camp held at the Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State on Saturday.
He explained that the explosion occurred seven hours after the bombers switched off their telephone devices.
He said, “We knew that the forces were coming to Kaduna State with a bomb and we were tracking them. They got to Zaria and switched off their sets and they could not be tracked any longer.”
He reiterated the role of the government in ensuring the security of lives and properties of the citizens, adding that the government should guarantee the rule of law and an enabling environment for entrepreneurs.
To provide sufficient protection for Nigerians, el-Rufai said the country needed twice the size of its current police force.
He said, “We need twice the Police Force we currently have for effective protection. This is one of the things we need to provide and I can assure you that President Muhammadu Buhari is working on it.”
