By Desmond Mgboh, Kano

•3 killed in luxury bus park

No fewer than three persons died in a bomb explosion that again, rocked the Luxury Bus Motor Park situated in Sabon Gari Area of Kano State, yesterday.

However, Kano State Police Commissioner, Alhaji  Adenrele Shinaba, confirmed the death of only one person, adding that eight other victims were injured and had been rushed to the hospital for medical attention.

Checks by Daily Sun revealed that the blast, which occurred at about 3.00 p.m. just as the park was beginning to pick up for the day’s activities, destroyed at least two luxury buses belonging to Ezenwata Motors and Ifeanyichukwu Motors, including the wares of traders and the personal belongings of  passengers.

Witnesses told Daily Sun that the bomb exploded after a young boy pushed a truck of wares, among them a fridge, through the entry gates of the park to the position where a luxury bus had just arrived from the East.

The bomb, it was gathered, was hidden inside the fridge and exploded alongside the entire truck, and might have killed  the boy bearing the truck.

The tragedy, Daily Sun gathered affected mostly workers and taxi drivers, who had rushed to the bus to carry the loads of the passengers.

Among the dead was a yet-to-be-identified woman, whose head was cut off and  flung away from her body by the explosion.

Witnesses told Daily Sun  said the causality figure would have been higher, but for the curfew imposed in Kaduna on Wednesday, which prevented several buses from the East arriving on time yesterday.

Speaking to journalists at the scene of the bomb explosion, Kano State Commissioner of Police confirmed the incident, saying: “On arrival, we discovered this luxury bus and damages done to these personal propery, like goods. All we know is that this luxury bus was getting ready to travel to Port Harcourt.

“In the process of loading the vehicle, one of the trucks that were being pushed was carrying a fridge to be loaded inside the vehicle, and it was the fridge that went off. It is presumed that there was  a prime explosive concealed inside the  refrigerator and that is what we are working on now.

“So far, I want to confirm that one woman is dead, eight others are injured and have been taken to hospitals for treatment. The degree of injuries is not a life-threatening one, and we shall also in the shortest time, move to the hospital to check the progress they are making.”

Meanwhile, the vicinity of the New Road Luxury Bus Park has been cordoned off by members of the Joint Security Task Force (JTF) in the state, while policemen were busy driving away the crowd that came surging to the park.

Workers in most of the commercial outlets in the state capital promptly closed for business following the tragic explosion, while traffic around Sabon Gari  area thinned out in the wake of the development.

Recalled that a similar bomb exploded on March 18, 2013 at the same luxury bus park in the state, killing several persons and injuring many others.


Source: Sun