•Survivors relive explosions
•How rain mitigated impact

BY MARIE-THERESE NANLONG

In the late afternoon of Thursday, when residents of Jos, the Plateau State capital, witnessed the first rain of the year, many were elated as the heavy showers brought coolness to the environment.

Though happy at the coming of the rain, many residents, who were not prepared for the downpour, were trying to find their way to their destinations and, for the residents of the Bauchi Road axis of the city, there was no premonition that danger lurked at the corner.

As many were taking shelter from the rain and some defying the weather and going about their businesses, the enemy struck at two motor parks along the road at about 6pm leaving behind tears and sorrow.

Though Jos is not new to bomb blasts as such ugly incidences had wreaked havoc in the past with the victims still counting their losses and the city yet to recover from the impact, residents were beginning to enjoy some peace when the twin blasts shattered the peace of the city once again.

•Survivor: Abdullahi Inusa

At the time the incidents, which occurred at about 10 to 15 minutes interval, many did not know another tragedy had befallen the city as they thought the blasts sounds were those of thunder result from the rain.

All the same, the rain was actually a blessing in disguise as it minimized the effect which the blasts could have caused as witnessed in the May 20, 2014 twin blasts at Terminus area of the city which left almost 200 people dead.

This time, the casualty figure was minimal as the attendant fires which always burn after such incidences consuming more victims did not occur as a result of the wetness of the environment.

But, despite the closeness of the University of Jos to the scenes of the blasts, no student of the institution was affected as the only 100L Medical Science student, who was close to one of the scenes, had a minor scratch and was treated in a nearby private clinic and discharged on Friday.

Be that as it may, about 18 people lost their lives and 17 people injured in the incidents which occurred about 160 meters away from the main campus of the University of Jos and the victims taken to the Plateau State Specialist Hospital, the Bingham University Teaching Hospital and private clinics in the neighbourhood.

Narrating their experiences to Sunday Vanguard in Jos, the survivors said though they were in pains, they gave thanks to God for surviving the incidents as some known faces to them were not as lucky.

According to 60-year-old Abdullahi Inusa, who sells CD and DVD plates at the entrance of the Bauchi Park, “I went to the mosque to pray and, on returning, the rain had increased and we were just sitting under a shelter when we heard a loud sound at about 6pm. I thought it was a tyre burst from vehicle and we made comments about the sound.

“While some said it was tyre burst, others said it was thunder and some others said the sound was too loud and could be a bomb. Before we knew what happened, another exploded very close to us and we began to run for safety.  As we were running, my legs hit something and I fell and something hard hit me on my hand and blood gushed out and entered my eyes.

“I was there trying to help myself when security men and other people came to rescue us and I was brought to this hospital. I thank God I survived but my neighbour, Kabiru, was not lucky and the traffic warden, Oga Musa, also died.”

Inusa added there was no premonition or rumour that such incident would occur as residents had put the ugly past behind and were striving to live in peace but “those who do not want us to be free in Jos are not tired of causing pains to people.”

On 50-year-old Baba Umaru, mai nama (meat seller), who just lay on the hospital bed without uttering a word, the brother, Ali Yusuf, who escaped unhurt, said, “He is still shocked at what happened.”

Telling their story, Yusuf, who also does petty business in the motor park, stated, “This thing came to us as a surprise because we were not expecting this kind of thing again in Jos. I saw the traffic warden, Oga Izang Musa, came in to take shelter with us because of the rain and he was trying to buy orange when blast occurred. The thing just blew him away and that is how he went. May God save us from this blood suckers.”

The late Izang Musa was attached to the Angwan Rogo Division and was said to be directing traffic at his duty post before the rain started.

Besides those who lived to tell their stories, relatives of the dead also recounted their ordeals as Abubakar Zakari, whose brother, 21-year-old Alhassan Muhammed, lost his life in the incident, said he had handed everything over to God.

A relative of the deceased traffic warden, who gave his name as Daniel, lamented the situation saying, “This is really painful because we were not expecting this kind of bad news in this new year. His working in that Division had been giving us cause for concern because of the situation in Jos but, just when we began having hope of his safety in that area, the bombers denied him of life in such a violent manner but it is well!”

Meanwhile, the member representing Jos North-North in Plateau State House of Assembly, Mr. Ibrahim Baba-Hassan, in whose constituency the incidents occurred, described the blasts as “the highest level of irresponsibility and wickedness.”

He condoled with the families of those who lost their lives and urged the people of the state to be calm and pray for the souls of the departed.

•Survivor: Baba Umaru

Ambassador Yahaya Kwande, who also came to sympathize with the victims, stressed, “Nigerians should be human because we are gradually drifting to becoming animals where people wake up in the morning to go about their businesses but within a twinkle of an eye, life is snuffed out of people for nor just cause.”

At the time of this report, Muslim faithful had taken buried their dead according to their right before the Friday prayer and few corpses were seen at the Plateau Specialists Hospital morgue awaiting evacuation by relatives.

Meanwhile, as residents continue to count their losses, caution and prayers are being admonished as no one knows where the next target is and who the next victim will be as enemies of the State are trying hard to resurrect the seed of discord among religious and ethnic groups which well-meaning citizens are working hard to bury