Kaduna Bombing: IGP sets up high-powered investigation team

Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar

In a move that is clearly unusual since the country began to experience bomb attacks, authorities of Nigeria Police on Friday morning set up what it described as a high powered team of season investigators, to investigate the two bombing incidents in Kaduna last Wednesday.

This was announced in a statement issued on Friday in Abuja by Frank Mba, spokesperson for the Nigeria Police.

Reports indicated this morning that the death toll from the blast is now over 100. But Police said yesterday that 39 lives were lost to the twin blasts while 37 others were injured in the twin blasts.

It was also speculated that the first bomb targeted the respected Islamic cleric, Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi narrowly escaped unhurt.

Former Head of State, General Mohammadu Buhari also escaped unhurt in the second attack which occurred near the busy Kawo market in Kaduna.

Reports indicated that a bomb-laden car rammed into the former Head of State who is also a chieftain of the opposition All Progressives Congress, APC convoy after trailing it for some time and unsuccessfully tried to overtake the escort vehicle to reach Buharis armoured SUV.

The former Head of State had in a statement released after the blast confirmed that he was the target of the bomb attack.

I am personally involved in a clearly targeted bomb attack today (Wednesday) at about 2.30 p.m. on my way to Daura.

The unfortunate event, clearly an assassination attempt, came from a vehicle that made many attempts to overtake my security car, but was blocked by escort vehicle.

We reached the market area of Kawo, where he took the advantage of our slowing down and attempted to ram my car, before it instantly detonated the bomb which destroyed all the three cars in our convoy.

Unfortunately, when I came out of my vehicle, I saw many dead bodies littering the ground. Innocent people going about their daily businesses became victims of the mass murder.

Thank God for His mercy, I came out unhurt, but with three of my security staff members sustaining minor injuries. They have since been treated in hospital and discharged, Buhari said in the statement.

But in their reactions yesterday, APC Governors speaking under the banner of Progressives Governors Forum (PGF) blamed President Goodluck Jonathan for not doing enough to stop the spate of the bombings by Boko Haram.

The governors who said the incident was a dangerous development, which should not be taken lightly by any responsible Nigerian also claimed the attack was targeted at Buhari as it came just two days after he urged the President to stop waging war on Nigerians and to devote more time and energy to the war on terrorism, confirmed our concerns that the lives of the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC), are no longer safe.

Other APC chieftains like former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Nasir el-Rufai, a former Minister while also condemning the attack also insinuated that it was an assassination attempt targeted at the former Head of the State.

P.M. NEWS gathered that the politicisation of the attack with the insinuation of the involvement of the presidency informed the directive to the Inspector General of Police to set a panel to probe the incident.

The statement released by Mba reads: the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar has instituted a high-powered investigation team made up of very seasoned investigators to unearth the perpetrators of the recent bomb attack in Kaduna in which thirty-nine (39) Nigerians unfortunately lost their lives while thirty-seven (37) others got injured just as the former Head of State, General Mohammadu Buhari and the respected Islamic cleric, Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi narrowly escaped unhurt.

The team of investigators, which is expected to work in close collaboration with other security agencies, is headed by the Commissioner of Police in charge of Legal Department, DCP Nwodibo Ekechukwu.

Other members of the team include: DCP Chris Ezike of the Federal SARS, DCP Dan Mallam of the Monitoring Unit and DCP Adeyemi Ogunjemilusi of the Interpol Unit and others.

Mba also said the IGP has orderd that security should be tightened in all states of the federation, particularly in the states perceived to be more vulnerable to terror attacks.

While appealing to all Nigerians, particularly Kaduna residents to remain calm, the IGP calls on the citizens to cooperate with the security agencies by providing them with relevant information to solve the crime, Mba said.