How Kano bomber posed as new student to carry out deadly attack

by ‘Jola Sotubo

Residents of Kano were thrown into shock yesterday after a bomb went off at the state School of Hygiene killing at least 8 people and injuring 12 others.

However, according to emerging details, the attacker aimed for a much higher death toll than was recorded.

Police arrested the suspected bomber and eyewitnesses say that he had pretended to be a new student making enquiries.

The suspect however aroused suspicion when he resisted attempts to give him a suitable parking space due to the congestion in the school.

Leadership reports:

Shortly after alighting from the vehicle, the bomb inside the car exploded, killing 8 persons and injuring others. LEADERSHIP learnt that five of the dead were students of the school.

According to a guard at the school who witnessed the incident, the school had a busy week because of the newly admitted students that were registering for their first session in the school. The blast occurred as the students were struggling to meet a deadline to register for the new academic session.

“The bomber came in blue traditional attire; he drove in and asked about a department, so we all assumed he is a fresh student. He was even holding some school registration papers with him.

“We allowed him in and I told him where to park because we were having parking space problem because of the fresh students around.

“So it was strange when he went the other way, so I followed him and instructed he park at the appropriate place, we argued for a while before he agreed to park where he was instructed to.

“A few minutes after he parked the car, the bomb went off, by that time we had seen his face and could identify him. So when he hurried to the gate, we ran after him and pinned him down, he was also carrying some devices on him but we were brave enough to take him down,” the guard who craved anonymity said.

LEADERSHIP learnt that the bomber was nearly lynched by some irate students, but some teachers and school officials rescued him and took him away and locked him up before police operatives came and whisked him away.

An eyewitness, who is also a student, told our reporter that there was a white vehicle parked in the midst of the school for hours and it was the same vehicle that exploded and killed students.

He said he heard loud explosion while he was standing with colleagues at the other end, adding that he later saw pieces of human parts scattered all over the place.

Nura Ado Bello who said to be an in-law to the provost of the school, said he was at the school to see the provost and get some financial support.

Nura, whom our reporter met at Murtala Muhammad Hospital and who sustained burn injuries, told LEADERSHIP that he just heard a loud explosion and lost consciousness, saying he only found himself with burn injuries at hospital.

Another victim at the emergency ward of the same hospital, Abdulrazak Allai Rano of Ringim town in Jigawa state said he was at the school to be screened and collect admission letter which he had been following for the past four weeks.

Abdulrazak, who sustained various degrees of burn injuries, said he lost all his original school documents that he was holding before the blast.

Our reporter saw a young student in his school uniform who lost conciousness and hours after the blast could not regain his consciousness. He was seen making some moves with his two hands as if he was trying to prevent something from touching his face.

LEADERSHIP also talked to the provost of the school, Malam Ado Bello who said that as he parked his vehicle under the shed meant for him and was about to come out of the vehicle, he heard a loud explosion a few metres from his position.

“I was lucky to have survived the incident”, said the provost of the school.

He added that in just few moments all one could see were dead bodies lying down, with several other students injured and helpless.

Kano State police command commissioner of police, Mr Aderenle Shinaba confirmed the attack and the number of casualties. He said the area had been cordoned off and emergency services were continuing to take the injured to hospital.

The federal government also confirmed the attack in Kano but noted that the bomb was planted within the school compound.

Coordinator of the National Briefing Centre on the efforts to end insurgency and bring back the abducted Chibok schoolgirls, Mr Mike Omeri who confirmed the incident said the explosion rocked the Kano Municipal City area of Sabo Kafar at 2.05pm.