Survivors of the yesterday bomb blast in Kaduna have continued to recount their experiences during the explosion that killed over 30 people, including two secondary school boys, a leper in his 30s, a woman, commercial motorcycle operators a.k.a. ‘okada’, motorists and passersby.
A survivor, Mr. Femi Johnson, who barely managed to speak to LEADERSHIP at his hospital bed, said he saw himself on the ground following the blast from a vehicle which was behind him.
“I was on my motor bike, when I heard a heavy sound from my back, before I could know, I saw myself on the ground and I was rushed to hospital. The car was a bit far from me, but I know the car was behind me. The situation was very bad, with some people burnt to death while others were torn to pieces and many people sustained injuries. The situation was very bad. The bomb killed innocent people, especially ‘okada’ riders,” he said.
Another victim, Malam Abu who managed to speak to LEADERSHIP also recounted their ordeals, saying, “I was just passing by and heard a heavy sound, the next thing I saw myself here in hospital.”
Another survivor, Ibrahim Ismael, told LEADERSHIP at the scene of the bomb:? “It was God that saved me; it all happened in my very eyes. I personally saw 11 dead bodies. I carried two other persons who were terribly injured to 44 Army Reference Hospital, one of them could not see while the other person could not hear due to the sound of the blast. Mangled bodies were everywhere.”
Eyewitnesses Mohammadu Zaharradin and Jamilu Mohammad Waraiwarai, who were the first people to arrive at the scene and also provided assistance to the security operatives in gathering dead bodies, described the incident as very unfortunate.
According to Mohammadu Zaharradin, who spoke to LEADERSHIP at St. Gerald Hospital: “I was taking tea near the road, when suddenly we heard sound, and we rushed to the scene only to discover burnt people, dead bodies as well as human parts scattered all over the place.
“On reaching the scene proper, I discovered a dead body of someone I know very well. Suddenly, I began packing the dead bodies and loading on available vehicles.
Waraiwarai on his part said: “I was at home eating food when I heard the blast sound. When I came out I discovered the blast scene was opposite my house; on reaching the scene, I saw okada riders, roadside tea makers and other passersby lying dead on the ground, I and other people started packing the dead bodies and loading them inside police vehicles.
“We also used motorcycles to convey some victims to hospitals. The Civil Defence people helped us to convey the corpses to hospitals. So many people also sustained injuries. The bomb blast affected all vehicles plying both sides of the road,” he said.
LEADERSHIP gathered the suicide bomber who was driving on a Honda Academy, with a Kaduna registration number BB 111 DKA, was said to have earlier tried to enter an Evangelical Church of Winning All (ECWA) but was denied by the Church’s local security guard and the policemen stationed there.
The explosion was said to have occurred at a spot on Junction Road, off Sardauna Crescent close to Ahmadu Bello Stadium Roundabout in the Kaduna State capital.
At the Barau Dikko Specialists Hospital, a staff of the Hospital who spoke to LEADERSHIP in confidence confirmed that there were six dead bodies in his hospital.
The leper according to our source later died while receiving treatment.? Among those dead, according to the source are, Owoiche, Adaje and Chidiebere, while those wounded are Gwarzo, Nura, Musa Bashar, Yusuf Suleiman, Ali Mansur and Samaila Sani.
When our correspondent visited Saint Gerald’s Catholic Hospital Kaduna, a large number of those that were injured in the Easter blast who were rushed to the hospital were seen receiving treatment.
Confirming the number of Casualties at St. Gerard Catholic Hospital, the Public Relations Officer, Mr. Sunday John Ali, said “As I am talking to you, 10 were brought here, five were dead and we are still battling with the remaining five. Some of them will need blood.”
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