By  OKEY NDIRIBE, Ben Agande, LUKA BINNIYAT, ABDULSALAM MUHAMMAD & UMAR YUSUF, with agency reports

TARABA State Police Commissioner, Mr. Maman Sule confessed, yesterday, that he narrowly escaped death when some terrorists attacked his convoy with explosives at the premises of the Ministry of Finance which was adjacent the Taraba police headquarters leaving 11 persons dead and 20 others injured.

This came as the Federal Government cautioned the people of the Northern region over activities of terrorists stressing that the region was in danger of being left behind in the national polity if attacks by the Boko Haram Islamic sect continued.

Recounting his close shave with death, the police boss said: “I was on my way to my office. The bombers struck as I entered the premises of the Ministry of Finance which was adjacent to the Police headquarters. The explosives hit the official car I was riding in and shattered the windscreen and front bumpers but I escaped unhurt by the whiskers.”

Sule, however, told newsmen that the police confirmed the death of three persons from the attack, adding that investigation had begun toward apprehending the bombers, with bomb experts already invited to join the team of investigators.

An eye witness told Vanguard in Jalingo that two unidentified persons on a motorbike rammed into the Police commissioner’s convoy and detonated the explosive. The incident occurred at about 9:30am at the popular Government House roundabout. The eyewitness said that no fewer than 11persons, including security men attached to the Commissioner of Police were killed on the spot even as 20 others were injured. Those injured are receiving treatment in various hospitals in the state.

The Red Cross Information coordinator in Taraba, Mr. Umar Waziri, however, confirmed that 11 people died in the bomb attack. Waziri told the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN: “We can confirm that 11 people were killed. 10 people died at the spot, while one person died at the Federal Medical Centre in Jalingo.” He said that 20 others injured by the blast had been taken to various medical centres in the city.

Meanwhile, the Acting Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, has said that some suspects have been arrested in connection with the Jalingo’s bomb attack

The police boss who spoke with State House correspondents after meeting with Vice President Namadi Sambo at the Presidential Villa also refuted reports that the explosion was targeted at the state Commissioner of Police,  Mahaman Sule. The IGP added that the police has done a lot to curb the activities of the Boko Haram group.

The Police boss who was at the State House alongside Minister of Police Affairs, Captain Caleb Olubolade (rtd) to brief Vice President Namadi Sambo on the Taraba State bomb blast insisted that the police has done more when compared with the past leadership.

He said: “Yes we are doing something as you can see. You cannot compare the situation before we came on board and now. On yesterday’s bomb attack, the IGP insisted that “My CP was not the target. It was placed on the road and it exploded, nothing has happened to the commissioner and we have made arrest.”

Jonathan urges Nigerians not to despair

Reacting to the bomb attacks in Kano and Taraba, President Goodluck Jonathan appealed to Nigerians not to succumb to despair in the face of persistent attacks by Boko Haram terrorists in the country assuring that the Federal Government was doing everything possible to ensure that Nigeria overcomes the scourge of mindless terrorism.

President Jonathan in separate statements signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Communication, Dr. Reuben Abati described the attack in Kano as “heinous descent to new depths of calumny by perpetrators of the attack on one of the nation’s most hallowed citadels of academic endeavour and its members.” The statement urged Nigerians to remain united in their “condemnation and rejection of the terrorists who have shown even more clearly by their latest attacks on the media and the academic community that their objective is to destabilize the nation and its vital institutions.”

While condemning yesterday’s attack in Jalingo, the president urged Nigerians and foreigners living in the country not to be discouraged or deterred from going about their regular affairs by the persistence of the mindless bombings and gun attacks. He noted that “success in the war against terrorism will be more speedily achieved with greater support and assistance from affected communities”, and called on all patriotic Nigerians to promptly report all suspicious persons to national security agencies

I saw God’s hand as I flew over the fence for safety— 5 year- old survivor.

In a related development, a five-year-old survivor of Kano bomb attack, Margarete, gave an account of how he escaped the bomb attack and asking tearfully, “why should anyone want me dead”. On her hospital bed at the emergency section of Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano Monday evening, Margarete, a Nursery School pupil of Bayero staff school was surrounded by her middle aged parents, Johnson and Halima and three other surviving sisters led by her elder sister, Becky Johnson, a 19 year old 200 level student of Mass communication of Bayero University.

Looking a little bit worried perhaps due to bouts of pain of the bullet wound on her back while escaping from the sports hall of BUK last Sunday, each time she tried to put up a smile, she shed tears, and rhetorically asked “why should anyone want me dead”.

I saw God’s hand while escaping through fence —Margaret

Telling her story, Margarete said “my God is superior and I saw His hand while escaping through the fence after an explosive was thrown into the hall full of worshippers. I escaped into the hands of my elder sister (Becky) who carried and flew away from the shooting and explosives.” Margarete’s sister, Becky said she led four other children of the family to the church and “half way into the mass, we heard gunshots all around the hall and what look like IED’s started falling in like a confetti”.

BAYERO VARSITY BLAST - Margaret, the girl with the bullet wound following Sunday's bomb attack at the Bayero unit at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital Kano, yesterday.

Becky stated that she climbed the lecture hall like many worshippers “only to be confronted by rings of fire coming out of the gun of the attacker who had already taken position outside the premises and miraculously none of the bullet hit me except my little sister.” She said they ran across the road and took refuge in the neighbourhood saying that “we were moved to the hospital by the good Samaritan when the fire subsided.

15 year-old Cynthia Johnson, on her part said she jumped out of the hall when she heard the first gun shot, adding that she reconnected with her family at Murtala Muhammad Hospital shortly after the attack.

Cynthia, a student of Top Quality College also attributed her escape to God’s intervention saying “I saw the attackers armed with automatic weapons, firing at worshippers as I ran away to safety”.

The head of the family, Mr Johnson was short of words. He told Vanguard: “My mien tells the whole story. Can you imagine how I could have felt if I had lost all these children? But God is in control, and He knows why I am in Kano and has done everything possible to protect my family.” Johnson, however, said that despite the challenges he was not thinking of relocating to his Ado Local Government area of Benue State, saying “my God is not a sleeping God”.

CAN, ACF, JNI condemn attack

The Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, and the umbrella association of Musilm organisation in the country- the Jama’atu Nasril Islam, JNI, have denounced last Sunday’s killing of Christian worshipers at both the Bayero University Kano, BUK, and Gombe State University, Gombe and called on government to arrest and prosecute the culprits.

The two associations made this known in separate statements in Kaduna yesterday even as the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, in the 19 Northern States and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja also described the killings as a continuation of the war waged against Christians in the North, saying Northern CAN “would no longer fold its arms and watch this madness.”

CAN in a statement by the Catholic Archbishop Emeritus of Kaduna Archdiocese, Most Rev. Peter Jatau, also lampooned President Goodluck Jonathan and Northern leaders for allegedly playing the ostrich over the matter saying that this has justified the call by the National President of CAN, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, on Christians to defend themselves when attacked.

The ACF in its statement signed by the National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Anthony Sani said: “The attacks of innocent people in places of worship in BUK is worrisome because it conveys some aimlessness on the part of the perpetrators, considering that those affected are not part of causes of any perceived grievances. It is time for sheathing of the sword. Whatever may be the nature of any perceived grievances, violence resulting in mindless killing of innocent people can never be the solution. This is because, however, long any conflict may take, it would still be resolved at peace talks.

“To this end, ACF calls on perpetrators of violence that kill innocent citizens to embrace constructive dialogue as the only viable path to peaceful coexistence and national security for collective good. Those behind the violence must be brought to book. The ACF also condoles and commiserates with all those who lost their lives and property and pray to God to provide them with the fortitude to endure what have happened, and in the hope that they will replace the losses many folds.”

The statement signed by the Public Relations Officer, JNI, Alhaji Umar Zaria condemned the series of attacks against Christians, and urged the Federal Government not to handle with levity, the issues of security challenges the nation was passing through. JNI stated: “It is now apparent that there is serious disconnect between security personnel and the citizenry on leading information, hence the need to bridge the gap so that trust and confidence will be restored.

“In light of this, we call on government to have a second thought over thearrests of innocent people and device a proactive mechanism that will protect the lives and property of Nugerians. This is so advised, because even with all these arrests, we are still witnessing bomb blast. We also call on the media to be fair and balanced in their reportage and should not be deterred so long as they are truthful , Allah will be with them.”

Northern CAN, however, told newsmen in Kaduna: “We are feeling serious pains and disappointment on the entire system called Nigeria. This carnage is highly condemnable in the strongest term, because these are innocent students who were sent to school by their parents to acquire education. They went to a place of worship to adore and pray to their God only for some people to come and snuff lives out of them.

“We are not only condemning it, we will not sit down and fold our arms to accept this madness any more. The systematic approach of these murderers lends to the real fact that it is only Christians that are the major targets. They do it on Sundays, other holy days of Christians. And it seems that the government of this country led by Goodluck Jonathan is helplessly looking on; always telling us that security is on top of the situation.

“We want to use this medium to tell the world that if government has not stepped up arrests with the aim of bringing to book the people who carry out these heinous crimes; who are behind these things, the country is at the verge of collapse. No country has ever survived two wars. We had survived civil war. No country has survived religious war. And let it be made known that Christians are not taught to retaliate, but Christians have been given the right to defend themselves, and we will do it with all manner of defence at our disposal. This wanton killings has justified what our national leader, has said – that as God commanded, we have moral and spiritual right to stay alive by defending ourselves.

Insecurity: FG cautions Northern region

The Federal Government, however, cautioned the people of the Northern region over activities of terrorists noting that the region was in danger of being left behind in the national polity if attacks by the Boko Haram Islamic sect continued.

Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku issued the caution at a ministerial press briefing held as part of activities lined up by the Federal Government to commemorate this year’s Democracy Day and the first year anniversary of the current administration.

Maku who also expressed outrage over the incessant bombings and killing of hapless Nigerians by terrorists said the Federal Government was indeed facing its most trying times to tackle the insurgency.

The minister said government was on the verge of celebrating its successes of containing the attacks to a bearable level, saying: “you must have noticed that in recent times, there has been greater success in bursting these terror groups because we believe wherever there is terror, people suffer”.

He announced that yesterday’s session was to present achievements of the Federal Ministries of Labour and Health to the public adding that democracy is different from other forms of government because people are elected to rule with dictates and laws of the land.

Said he: “We are living in very difficult times. There are people among us that are out to set us back. I am talking of those who will stop at nothing to reduce the progress and modest achievements of this government to nothingness. To the best of my knowledge, there is no war between Moslems and Christians, we have situations of terrorist groups in Pakistan, just like in several other countries. Let me re-assure Nigerians that the purpose of this is to discourage us; we must all stand together each time our country falls under attack.”

Police defuse high calibre bomb at BUK

Meanwhile, the anti bomb disposal unit of the Kano police Command, yesterday, defused a high Calibre IED planted at the sociology department located at the new Campus of the Bayero University Kano.

The police image Maker in Kano ASP Majia said that the JTF alerted the police of the incident adding that the process of recovery and diffusion was smooth. The University PRO Mustapha Zaharadeen confirmed the incident but added that the situation has been brought under control.