— New Telegraph editor Bisalla among dead
— It’s savagery – FCT Minister
By Chizoba Ogbeche, Awaal Gata, Samuel Ogidan and Ayoni M. Agbabiaka, Abuja
A bomb suspected to be thrown into a crowded area by two men on a motorcycle yesterday killed 21 people and severely injured 17 others at Emab Plaza, one of the biggest shopping malls in Abuja.
The blast occurred in the highbrow Wuse II area of the city around 3:50 p.m., causing a loud bang that set the mall on fire.
One of the two suspects was arrested by the police while the other was shot by a National Guard officer as they made to get away.
When our correspondent arrived at the scene about 20 minutes after the blast, he saw pools of blood, human parts and shrapnel everywhere, as the people who managed to escape from the building ran helter-skelter, shouting.
An eyewitness, Osaro Odafe, told reporters at the scene of the blast that the bomb was massive as it shook the whole vicinity, making traders and buyers as well as passersby to run in all directions.
Odafe said unlike on previous occasions, people ran away from the blast scene and did not come near.
Confirming the number of casualties to newsmen, the Coordinator of the National Information Centre, Mr Mike Omeri, said soldiers killed one of the suspected bombers and arrested another.
He said the attackers got to the mall on a power bike and planted an improvised explosive device (IED) at its entrance.
He said the suspects attempted to flee after carrying out the act but personnel of the National Guards who were patrolling the area shot and arrested them.
According to him, one of them later died from wounds he sustained from gunshots, while a bag containing IEDs was also recovered from the suspects.
Security operatives drawn from the Army, Police, SSS and emergency services like the Fire Service, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the FCT Emergency Agency, were already evacuating mostly the injured and the dead when Blueprint arrived at the scene.
NEMA said all the affected persons at the scene of the incident were evacuated to various hospitals.
A statement by the agency’s Senior Information Officer, Sani Datti, said most of the affected persons were evacuated to the nearby Maitama District Hospital before some were transferred to other hospitals that included the National Hospital, Nigerian Turkish Hospital, Asokoro General Hospital and Alliance Clinic.
One of the victims of the blast was Malam Suleiman Bisalla, the Managing Editor (Northern Operations) of the New Telegraph newspaper.
Confirming his death in a press release last night, the management of the newspaper company quoted the 46-year-old Bisalla’s elder brother Mohammed saying the deceased would be laid to rest today June 26 according to Islamic rites.
Managing Director of the New Telegraph, Mr. Gabriel Akinadewo, described Bisalla as “a thorough-bred and hardworking journalist who will be greatly missed by the company.”
He prayed for the repose of his soul.
Until December 2013 when he joined the New Telegraph, Bisalla was a Deputy Editor and Political Editor with the Daily Trust in Abuja.
A survivor, who lost his driver in the blast, Alhaji Baba Shu’aibu, said they were at the plaza to make some photocopies when the blast happened with his driver trapped in the car.
He said: “We just came here to make two photocopies. I was inside the shop and my driver was in the car when the blast occurred. It is sad that after three days all those that died here would be forgotten.
“He had three wives and several children. What happens now?”
Addressing journalists at the scene, Police Force spokesperson Mr. Frank Mba disclosed that arrests had been made by the security forces in connection with the bombing.
He confirmed that 21 people died, 17 injured and 17 vehicles damaged in the blast.
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Bala Mohammed, described the bombing as “a savage act.”
During a visit to the the bombing site and the Maitama District Hospital, Abuja, he called for stricter security in all public places and other soft targets which usually witness large gatherings within the FCT.
He said security plans of action were being developed to forestall any future attack by insurgents.
The minister, who visited the hospital around 5:55 p.m., gave the assurance that the federal government would foot the victims’ medical bills.
He commended security agencies for their efforts in combating terror in the territory and pledged more support for them by the FCT Administration.
He also hailed the efforts of NEMA and the FCT Hospital and Human Services Secretariat.
Those who accompanied Mohammed during the visit included the FCT Minister of State, Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide, the FCT Permanent Secretary, Engr. John Chukwu, the Force PRO, Mr. Frank Mba, and the Director of State Security Service (DSSS) in the FCT, Mr. John Okojie.
The Secretary of the FCT Health and Human Services Secretariat, Dr. Demola Onakomaiya, said those injured were rushed to Maitama, Asokoro, Wuse and National Hospital by emergency workers.
This was the third explosion in the nation’s capital city in two months.
The Islamist sect, Boko Haram, had claimed responsibility for the two previous explosions in April and May in Nyanya, a suburb of the capital.