Jos Explosion: Death toll rises to 32 — NEMA

The National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, has reviewed the Thursday Jos explosion death toll from 25 to 32 deaths.

The NEMA spokesperson for North-central geopolitical zone, Audu Yohanna, in a press release on Friday said 32 people were confirmed dead, while 47 others injured and were taken to hospitals for medical attention.

Mr. Yohanna said the victims are being treated in three separate hospitals within Jos.

PREMIUM TIMES saw eight bodies on the floor of the Plateau Specialist Hospital on Friday. Among the dead was a pregnant woman, and a male corpse completely mutilated.

Many people were seen searching for their family members. A 34-year-old woman searched frantically for the corpse of her mother to no avail.

Survivors of the incident were hospitalized at the Plateau Specialist Hospital, in Ward 1.

Journalists were not allowed to see the survivors at the time of visit to the hospital.

At the Bingham University Teaching hospital, a theatre attendant who pleaded not to be named because she was not authorized to speak to journalists, said 10 people who sustained minor injuries had been treated and discharged. She also said some bodies had been deposited at the hospital mortuary.

The management of the Bingham University Teaching hospital did not also allow journalists’ access to both dead and survivors.
At the Ola General Hospital, a lot of sympathizers were seen searching for family.

Tsiye said her neighbour was shot dead.

“We found her remains this morning, (Friday) but it was not the bomb that killed her, there are bullet wounds on her body. We kept looking for her since yesterday (Thursday) in all the hospitals when the incident occurred but we could not find her. Just this morning someone called and said he saw her corpse. We went there and found bullet wounds on her remains.”

The deceased was 56 years old and popularly known as Mama Talatu. She had two children and traded on food items near the location where the second bomb exploded. The neighbour said Mama Talatu was the breadwinner of her house.

The two scenes of the incident, Mr Biggs and “Kasuwan Dare” areas have been deserted, and security operatives were seen removing debris there. There were no commercial activities within the area.

NEMA] had earlier said 25 persons were killed in the twin bomb explosions while the spokesperson of the Special Task Force on Jos crisis [STF], Ikedichi Iweha, had claimed 16 persons died in the incident.

The Thursday evening explosion occurred during rush hours, when workers and traders were heading home from work and business.
Officials said most of those caught in the explosions were street hawkers roaming around for patrons.

The Plateau state government had, after the deadly May 20 explosions in a market, banned street trading and hawking along designated areas.

But the traders, who left for a while, recently resumed their activities around the prohibited areas.

A witness, Francis Atsa, told PREMIUM TIMES the explosions went off twice, close to the Jos main market, also known as “Terminus market”.

“I was on my way from the old site of the Jos University Teaching Hospital gate when the explosion occurred,”Mr. Atsa said.

“The first one went off at about 6:30p.m. and the second one followed almost immediately. I had to run for safety as objects were flying all over.”