The relative peace that the people of Kaduna city in Kaduna State have been enjoying was almost shattered yesterday if not for the vigilance of the residents who tipped the police off about a bomb neatly concealed in a laptop computer near the ever-busy Jema’a Road, by Ahmadu Bello Way, on the day the Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF) had concluded their meeting in the city.
The bomb was discovered close to the Assemblies of God Church, which had suffered a bomb blast last year’s Easter Sunday during which many people had died, again, barely 24 hours after a meeting of the NSGF in Kaduna.
Immediately the Kaduna State police command was alerted to the presence of the suspicious laptop kept some few metres from the church, its anti-bomb squad immediately swung into action and successfully defused the lethal device.
However, the development still caused panic in the city as the news spread, even as anxiety and disappointment were noticed on faces of the city dwellers that had enjoyed peace since last December and hoped never to witness such disaster again.
An eyewitness said the incident occurred at about 4:30 pm and combat-ready soldiers and the police blocked the roads adjoining the Jema’a road where the bomb was discovered.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Olufemi Adenaike, said the anti-bomb squad of the state police command professionally defused the bomb.
The police boss thanked the residents for their vigilance and for offering the police useful information that led to the discovery of the bomb.
His words: “The news of the bomb is correct. The bomb was neatly sealed in a new laptop. It was neatly wrapped to attract the people and so if somebody had picked it, probably it would have exploded. But my men from the anti-bomb unit were able to defuse it professionally. It was well detonated in such a way that the sound was controlled without attracting too much attention from the public. So there was no casualty.
The entire area, which is close to the famous Obalende beer joint, was cordoned off by soldiers and operatives of other security agencies, making the place to be deserted.
Kaduna State has not had a terrorist attack since November 25, 2012 when twin blasts at the St. Andrews Military Protestant Church within the Armed Forces Command and Staff College at the Jaji Military Cantonment killed dozens and injured scores of people.