Female suicide bomber, 5 others killed in Kano

KANO—Ancient city of Kano witnessed fresh bomb attacks, yesterday, as twin explosions targeted at worshippers at Saint Charles Catholic Church, Sabon Gari, and a police check point in Kano killed six persons. The dead included a soldier, two women, a man, a child and a female suicide bomber.

Kano State Commissioner of Police, Adelenre Shinaba told reporters in Kano that the attack on the Catholic Church located at Zungeru Road, occurred shortly after the Sunday mass when an object suspected to be Improvised Explosive Device was thrown from opposite the church at a crowd of worshippers, leaving the service.

Mr. Shinaba explained that the explosion left a soldier guarding the church dead, as well as four others. Eight other worshippers sustained various degree of injury.

He disclosed that three suspects were arrested at the scene of the blast, pointing out that investigation has already commenced to ascertain their level of complicity.

According to the police boss, the other bomb attack involved a 15 year-old female suicide bomber who concealed the bomb device on her and walked towards policemen manning a check point.

He explained that the suicide bomber decided to detonate the device on her when the policemen threatened to shoot her if she continued to walk towards them.

Mr. Shinaba said that the incident occurred at Gidan Murtala by Kofar Nassarawa overhead bridge around 1.00pm, adding that five officers were injured in the process while four of them have been treated and discharged.

Major bomb attack averted

 The Kano State Police Command also said a bloodbath was averted late Saturday at Isyaku Rabiu Eid praying ground in Kano metropolis following the discovery of a primed vehicle abandoned strategically on the expanse field.

Isyaku Rabiu Mosque also served as Eid praying ground and is the second largest in Kano city attracting hundreds of thousands of worshippers across various sects.

The police commissioner, told newsmen in Kano that “the proactive steps initiated by the police in ensuring hitch free Sallah celebration paid off when a good Samaritan alerted us on the development’.

He said the police received a distress call from some members of the public that a Peugeot 406, white in colour, with Number plate AA 513 ZAK, was abandoned at the gate of Isyaku Rabiu Mosque located at Goron Dutse Qtrs Kano.

“On receipt of the information, our men led by the EOD Personnel were mobilized to the scene and discovered the said vehicle was loaded with IEDs primed to be detonated during today’s (yesterday) Eid el-Fitr’s prayers. We immediately disconnected and dislodged the EIDs safely without causing any injury or damage,” he said.