Kaduna bomb attack

John Shiklam

There was pandemonium Thursday in Kaduna following a bomb scare at the Nagwamatsa House, located along Ahmadu  Bello Way in the heart of the city.

A man  who was driving in an ash colour Toyota Camry  was said to have driven into the premises, parked the car and ran out of the premises and left on an Okada.
Those who saw him concluded that the car must have been loaded with bombs and raised alarm.
Many people who were already in their offices in the 11 storey building which also accommodates  the Kaduna office of the  Africa Independent Television (AIT) started rushing down for their dear lives and living the premises. The police anti-bomb squad immediately arrived the scene of the incident, but after using bomb detecting equipment to search the car, no bomb was discovered in the vehicle.

However, the owner of the car was nowhere to be found and some police men were assigned to watch the car until his return.

According to Shafiu Mohammed, a reporter with the AIT who witnessed the incident which occurred at about 12 noon, “the man drove in and  parked then he ran out of the premises , then some people who saw him running away after parking the car started running and there was concussion as everybody within the premises started running out of the premises.

“The police anti bomb squad was alerted and they arrived  promptly,  but after searching the car with their bomb detecting machine, no bomb or any harmful thing was discovered.

“The police then left but they deployed some of their men to watch the car if the owner will come back for it”.

Mohammed explained further that about one an a half hours after when everybody was calmed, the owner of the car showed up.

”The man came back later and walked confidently to his car, opened the booth and dropped somethings he bought in the booth before entering the car.

“He was apprehended by the police and asked to explain why he parked the car and ran away,” Mohammed added.

The man was said to have explained to the police that he actually came to the premises to check somebody but as soon as he got there,  he got a distressed call from his wife who told him that his son was suffering from convulsion and had been rushed to the hospital.

He said he had to parked the car there and ran to take an Okada to the hospital because of the chaotic traffic situation in the metropolis.

The man was said to have apologised for the panic his action had caused and was asked to go by the police.

No life was lost and nobody was injured in the pandemonium.

Although the spokes man of the Kaduna State police command was not available to react on the incident,  a police source who confirmed the incident said “you don’t blame people for reacting the way the do because of the manner in which the man parked the car.”

He added that there was no casualty during the confusion.