October 30, 2012 by David Attah with agency reports
As
Kaduna sought to recover from the suicide bombing of St. Rita Catholic
Church, the fear of reprisals and anxiety paralysed social and economic
activities in the city. Our correspondent who went round the city said
traders refused to open shops while buyers stayed away from markets.
Eight worshippers were killed and over
100 injured in the suicide bombing which took place on Sunday. In the
aftermath of the bombing, a mob believed to be Christian, reportedly
carried out reprisals killing seven persons. Although the Kaduna State
Government sought to debunk reports that there were killings, residents
who were afraid that youths from both religions could cause mayhem
stayed at home.
Some schools in the city were also shut
while activities were reportedly low key at higher institutions like the
Kaduna State University and the Kaduna Polytechnic.
The AFP reported that soldiers
patrolled the streets and mounted checkpoints where passers-by and
motorists were frisked. Residents said that roadblocks were mounted
around the scene of the blast and two volatile communities of Goni-Gora
and Tudun-Wada.
“There has been heavy military
deployment since yesterday following the attack. This morning (Monday)
two armoured personnel carriers and more troops arrived in these areas,”
said Emmanuel Mayaki, a resident of Goni-Gora.
Military spokesman Colonel Sani Usman told AFP the heavy presence of troops was “to restore law and order.”
Christian mobs had roamed the area near
the church in the Malali neighbourhood on Sunday after the attack,
targeting people they presumed to be Muslims, including one man who was
burnt alive.
Another resident, Mr Bako Sunday, had told the News Agency of Nigeria that tension had heightened in the city.
“We are afraid of further violence by
irate youths because we have yet to fully recover from the June
bomb-blast reprisals,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Chief Medical Director of
the Barau Dikko Specialists Hospital, Dr. Baduku Tokan, on Monday said
38 out of the 97 victims brought to the hospital after the terror attack
were children. He also told Governor Patrick Yakowa, who visited the
hospital, that four of the victims had died.
Tokan said, “About 97 people were
presented yesterday (Sunday) and many of them were treated. And as I
said earlier, 40 per cent of the total number (97) were children. But
many were stable and they went back home.
“About 25 people were admitted and we
have four corpses in this centre. We don’t know of other centres. Two
people were operated yesterday (Sunday) and as you see them now, they
are stable. Right now, we have 25 people on admission and everybody
looks stable.
“We thank God. If you compare the number
of people that came yesterday (Sunday) and those that died, we
appreciate God that the casualty figure was not as bad as we thought it
was going to be.”
He commended the International Red Cross
Society for assisting the victims, adding that 30 medical doctors
mobilised for the treatment of victims of the attack.
Our correspondent, who went round the
Barau Dikko Specialists Hospital and other hospitals where victims were
taken to, observed that at the St. Gerard Catholic Hospital, of the 14
victims admitted on the day of the attack, two had been discharged.
Out of the 35 victims received at the 44
Army Reference Hospital, three had died. At the Garkuwan Hospital where
14 victims were admitted, one died while six were treated and
discharged.
Only the Parish Priest, Reverend Father
Mathew Bonny, was admitted at the high brow Multi-Clinic in Ungwan Rimi,
Kaduna. He too, was said to be responding to treatment.
The National Emergency Management Agency
confirmed that some of the victims taken to the various hospitals in
the state were responding to treatment.
The agency, in a statement by Baba Ali, noted that over 20 people had been discharged from the hospitals.
Yakowa sought divine intervention on
the spate of bombings in the state and parts of the North. Yakowa, who
just returned from his investment drive to Japan, was moved to tears
when he saw victims of the blast in the hospital.
A three-year-old boy caught his
attention. He was in great pain. All the boy kept saying to his
grandmother was ‘malt’, a request the governor quickly granted. Within
minutes, a bottle of malt drink was brought to him.
As the little boy was sipping the malt
drink amid pains, Yakowa and the Archbishop of the Catholic Diocese,
Kaduna, Bishop Mathew Ndagoso, offered prayers for him.
The governor warned that if the people
of the North fail to halt the incessant terrorist attacks on the region,
it would face retrogression in terms of development soon.
At the Government House, Yakowa said that the acts of terrorism in the North had been a great setback to the region.
“Let us all join hands in bringing an
end to this act of terrorism. We must bring an end to the destruction of
life and property of innocent Nigerians. For me, I feel so sad each
time this thing happens and this is a very sad moment for me; but we
thank God because it could have been worse.
“We must all join hands and ensure that
we expose and flush out these evil people among us. All these challenges
will not distract us from developing the state.
“Never in the history of the state have
we faced these challenges, but we remain unshaken. We remain focused and
determined to succeed in ensuring quality life for our people.”
Also, Ndagoso, who spoke at the media
briefing was full of appreciation to the state government for footing
the hospital bills of all those who were being treated in the hospitals.
Meanwhile, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji
Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, on Monday expressed shock over the Sunday
terror attack on the church.
The Sultan, who is the President-General
of the Jama’atu Nasril Islam, in a statement by the Secretary-General
of the organisation, Dr. Khalid Aliyu, said, “It is our prayer that the
perpetrators behind the act will never succeed in causing chaos in
Kaduna.
“However, we implore the security agents
to be more vigilant and intensify measures at curbing this dastardly
act of bombings. As for those affected, we pray for a better return of
what they have lost and the families of those who lost their lives, may
Allah grant them fortitude to bear the loss.”
SOURCE: The Punch - Nigeria's Most Widely Read Newspaper 30 October 2012.
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