There were two explosions yesterday in
two state capitals – Gombe and Bauchi.
They were believed to have been
carried out by the Boko Haram sect.

Scores were killed in the bombings
which happened the day after a large
number of the sect’s fighters invaded
Yobe State town, Geidam, the
hometown of Governor Ibrahim
Geidam. Many people were also feared
killed in that attack and property
estimated at millions of naira
destroyed.

The Gombe explosion occurred in the
morning at the Dukku bus station,
killing no fewer than 20. But the police
put the death toll at 19, with 25
injured.

Red Cross Secretary Abubakar Yakubu
Gombe said: “There was an explosion
at the Dukku motor park. The Red Cross
mobilised with 20 body bags and they
have all been exhausted.”

He told French News Agency (AFP):
“We are still looking for more bodies
among the carnage.”

The bomb was planted near a bus that
was parked and filling up with
passengers, said Mato Yakubu of the
National Orientation Agency (NOA).
He said the blast occurred at 10:50 am
at the station on the outskirts of the
city.

An eyewitness said: “It happened at
about 11am while we were sitting in
front of a boutique near where vehicles
were loading passengers.

“Suddenly, we heard a loud noise of the
blast from one of the vehicles. Then we
saw human flesh flying in the air and
blood on our bodies.”

He said they immediately went into
rescue job.
According to him, the blast went off in
a Volkswagen vehicle. A woman was
believed to have brought in the
explosives concealed in a bag.

They said: “She left the bag and
disappeared into the crowd, saying she
would return but never did. We were
still inquiring about her and wondering
where she could have gone to when the
explosive went off.”

There were no security checks at the
entrance of Dukku Motor Park.
Police spokesman DSP Fwaje Atajiri
said 19 people died and 25 were
injured.

Irate youths attempted to take the law
into their hands by pelting security
agents at the scene with stones,
chanting: “Where have they been? We
don’t want PDP; we don’t want
Goodluck; we don’t even want the
governor,” among other
uncomplimentary remarks.

Asked why there are no security checks
at the entrance of the park, Atajiri said
there were but that “the perpetrator(s)
beat the the security check”.

He urged the public to partner with the
police, saying the “police cannot do this
alone”. “We need the general public to
furnish us with information where they
notice the unusual movement of
persons and goods.

“Commissioner of Police Kudu
Abdullahi Nma has been building a
people friendly police in Gombe State
which has been collaborating with
every segment of the society and, of
course, that has given us enormous
results.

“As you can see, just last week, a
vehicle loaded with 10 cylinders of
improvised explosive device (IED) was
intercepted by a joint team of the Police
and Army in Bajoga and the explosives
were removed to safety without any
problem,” he added.

Gombe shares a boundary with Borno
and Yobe states – two of the areas hit
hardest by the Boko Haram insurgency.
At least three people were killed in a
bomb attack at another bus station in
Gombe on October 31.

The explosion in Bauchi took place at
the Central market. The number of the
dead and injured could not be
ascertained last night. But many people
were feared killed.

The blast occurred between 5:30pm
and 6 pm.
The dead and the injured were taken to
the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Teaching
Hospital in Bauchi.

Goods worth millions of naira in 30
shops were burnt down in the inferno
that ensued.

Governor Isa Yuguda in a statement
according to his Chief Press Secretary,
Ishola Michael Adeyemi, condemned
the perpetrators.

He reassured the people that his
administration would not relent in its
efforts to ensure that lives and
properties of law abiding citizens were
protected. He promised to collaborate
with security agents to maintain the
peace among the diverse people of the state.

Source: http://nigeriannewstoday.com/2014/12/22/20-killed-as-boko-haram-hits-gombe-•explosion-in-bauchi/