A
major disaster was averted on Friday in Kano as 13 high-calibre
Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) targeted at Juma’at worshippers were
discovered near a mosque by the state police command.
The Commissioner of Police, Mr Adenrele Shinaba, displayed the devices to newsmen in the state capital on Friday.
He
said the explosives were discovered at about 1.30 p.m. in a rickety car
parked near a mosque at Sauna-Fafunga in Dakata area of Kano
metropolis.
“When
we got the information, we quickly moved in to the place and in the
course of screening the vehicle, our anti-bomb squad discovered the
explosives. The explosives were primed to explode when the Juma’at
prayer is going on and they can destroy a whole neighbourhood because
they are of high calibre,” he said.
Shinaba said the police had to detonate one of them but the Anti-bomb Squad advised that they should be removed from the area.
“While
we detonated one of the explosives, it shook all the buildings around
the area and even left cracks in one of the buildings in the vicinity.
“The cylinders discovered are of high calibre as they can ruin and destroy a whole village,” he said.
Shinaba commended the people of Kano for the timely information they gave to the police which saved the situation.
He
also urged the people to continue to give security agencies useful
information to enable them carry out their duties effectively.
50 terrorists killed in BornoIn
a related development, the Defence Headquarters said on Friday that
more than 50 suspected terrorists died during a raid on a makeshift camp
used by terrorists in Miyanti and Bulungu, Borno.
In
a statement posted on its website, the Defence Headquarters said 53
terrorists died in the encounter, while the troops lost two of their
men, and five others sustained injuries.
The
statement said that a fuel dump used for storing fuel as well as
vehicles, including Toyota Hilux vans, and seven motorcycles; were
destroyed in the raid.
It also said that 15 rifles, 11 machine guns and ammunition were recovered by the troops.
“In
a separate encounter around Duguri, near the Nigeria-Niger border,
troops of the Multinational Joint Task Force stormed a terrorists’
hideout in a raid. The troops recovered 18 rifles, five general purpose
machine guns, 25 hand grenades and IED(improvised explosive
devices)-making materials,” it stated.
The
statement said a suspected gun runner was apprehended and was being
interrogated in connection with the seizures. It said the suspect was
arrested during a cordon and search operation by troops.
It
said further that 15 other suspects were being detained in Abuja after a
raid that led to the recovery of seven rifles, pistols, swords and
other weapons. It also said that military operations to track armed
gangs would be sustained in various locations.
On
Wednesday’s bomb explosion in Abuja, the statement said more explosives
were seized from two suspects believed to have coordinated the bombing
of the Emab Shopping Plaza in Wuse.
“Bystanders
at the scene of the explosion alerted soldiers on patrol to the two
suspects who were speeding off on a power bike. The soldiers pursued the
fleeing suspects and shot at one who fell off the bike with his bag,
while the rider escaped through the crowd.
“The bag recovered from the suspect was later confirmed to contain a package of IEDs and other accessories.
The statement said that the accessories included stop clock, mobile phones and other materials used for setting off explosives.
The statement said the suspect who was shot later died in a hospital while yelling: “People will die! People will die!”
Twenty-one persons were confirmed dead following the explosion, while the wounded are receiving treatment in various hospitals.
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