Police confirm 13 dead, 14 injured in Jos explosion

The Plateau State Commissioner of Police, Nasiru Oki, has confirmed 13 dead and 14 injured in Thursday’s twin bomb explosions at the Bauchi Road Motor Park, adjacent the University of Jos.

PREMIUM TIMES counted nine corpses being deposited at the Plateau State Specialist Hospital mortuary with 11 injured people hospitalized at the intensive care unit of the hospital.

Among the nine corpses placed on the mortuary floor was the body police traffic officer.

Most of the corpses had injuries to the head; one was completely mutilated.

The management of the hospital declined comments. However, a senior nurse, who pleaded anonymity as she was not authorised to speak, said most of the injured victims were in stable condition Friday morning. She called for blood donations.

Four injured victims were hospitalised at the Bingham University Teaching Hospital. One of them died during treatment early hours of Friday.

Meanwhile, the University of Jos spokesperson, Abdullahi Abdullahi, has debunked reports that 12 students died in the explosions on Thursday evening.

Mr. Abdullahi in a telephone interview on Friday said, “The report in some national dailies that the University of Jos lost 12 of it students to the blast was false. No student or any member of the university community was affected by the explosions. As I speak with you the second semester examinations are ongoing. We have intensified security of lives and property in all our campuses.”

At the scene of the blast, it was gathered from witnesses that four commercial drivers were killed in the explosion.

A witness, Sarki Adams, told PREMIUM TIMES that other bodies were evacuated for burial Thursday by relations according to Muslim rites. He said five cars were also affected and several other structures were torched.

According to another witness at the scene on Friday, Mustapha Kawu, who owns a shop at the park, a man and a woman suspected to be among the suicide bombers, were lynched by angry youth.

Mr. Mustapha said the suspected bombers drove in a saloon car, while another suicide bomber, a woman, allegedly alighted from a Jeep.

Speaking to PREMIUM TIMES, Ali, a relation to one of the survivors, said his brother Umaru, who is a butcher at the motor park, was injured in the explosion but was being treated at the Plateau Specialist Hospital Jos.

Ali said the 42 year old butcher was about closing for the day when the explosions occurred.

The Thursday Bauchi Road Motor Park twin bomb explosion was the fourth since Christmas Eve, 2010 when a blast rocked Gadabiu area, Jos north.

As a result of the recent incident, there has been an intense stop and search of motorists by security agents within the state capital Jos.

Attempt by the Plateau state Government to relocate the park two years ago was met by stiff resistance, as management of the motor park approach a court of law for redress. The park remained in use.