On Friday night (yesterday), the quiet town of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja was awakened with a twin bomb blast in Kuje and Nyanya , both are outskirts and entry points into Abuja itself.
The multiple explosions were said to have been carried out by a female suicide bomber who attempted hitting the Kuje police station at about 9:51pm and a second blast from a suicide bomber on a motorcycle who detonated explosives in front of the Kuje market, killing dozens of people 15 minutes later.
According to security reports gathered by HERALD, the motive behind the bomb blast was to release the Boko Haram suspects held up in Kuje while the bomb that went off in Nyanya was a decoy to confuse the security agents and effect a jail break.
The blast which is the first in the satellite town of Kuje was said to have shaken several buildings and sent many residents scampering for cover.
The HERALD spoke with a resident in Kuje who incidentally lives close to Kuje Police Station, said the female suicide bomber attempted to gain entrance into the Kuje divisional police headquarters through the back fence, but while she was trying to scale the fence, the bomb strapped to her exploded and killed her instantly.
He added that about 15 minutes later, a young man on a motorcycle rode close to the gate of the Kuje main market and detonated his explosives killing many of those engaging in night trading. He said he saw 13 bodies being evacuated to the national hospital. He also added that several dozens of those injured were also taken to the National Hospital.
According to eye witness account, the insurgents launched simultaneous attacks on the Police Station and the market in the town.
Another resident said: “The militants struck at a busy spot near the Kuje Area Council Secretariat junction which also hosts a major bus stop in the town. They targeted crowded area because a mini-market is also being run in the area.
“As at the time the bomb explosion occurred, there were many people in the affected spot.
Another resident said: “The spontaneous attacks were launched on Kuje at about 9.10pm. What they did was first of all to bomb the police station in Kuje to destabilize the police and other security agencies.
“Shortly after the attack on the police, another bomb was detonated at a busy end near Kuje Area Council Secretariat.
“The explosions shattered many buildings in Kuje. The General Hospital in the town was overstretched and many ambulances were drafted to rescue victims.”
In reaction to the blast, he said the commissioner of police and other senior military officers rushed to the scene, cordoned off the area and assisted in evacuating both the injured and the death.
A third explosion was reported at Jukwoyi Bus Station after the Nyanya Bridge about 10:10 pm later. Nyanya was the scene of two deadly bombings in 2014, leading to scores of death at the crowded Bus Station.
As at the time of reporting this, the number of casualties cannot be ascertained. The death toll was put at about 20 but the military, security agencies and the National Emergency Management Agency( NEMA) were mopping up last night. Although NEMA confirmed that the explosions resulted in a number of deaths and injuries, it was silent on the toll.