New Details Emerge of Sunday's Deadly Explosion in Kano
New circumstances have surfaced of the Sunday bomb attack that reverberated through the Sabon Gari area of Kano city and claimed lives of at least five persons.
It would be recalled that at about 9.30 p.m. on Sunday, May 18, a car exploded at the crowded Sabon Gari area of Kano city, prompting assumptions it was yet another suicide attack carried out by a Boko Haram terrorist sect fighter. The police have, however, been careful about making such statements, confirming only the fact of a suicide attack. Shortly after the deadly blast. the police have recovered and rendered safe yet another explosives-laden car, a gray Mitsubishi Station Wagon.
Residents of the area, eyewitnesses, survivors of the accident and the authorities are now debating on the actual number of casualties, as well as fate of the alleged "suicide" bomber.
See the photos from the scene of the accident here: Kano Bombing: PHOTOS From The Scene And Number Of Casualties (UPDATED)
The more or less complete picture of the deadly accident can now be restored, using witnesses' accounts.
Hundreds of guests have gathered on Sunday to attend the official opening ceremony of the newly commissioned hotel resort located at the Gold Coast Road, Sabon Gari area.
Vanguard reports that one of the hotel’s security guards [name withheld] saw a Toyota Sienna bus trying to squeeze into the already packed parking area near the hotel. The security guard says he engaged in an argument with the "desperate" driver of the vehicle and eventually ordered him to leave. The driver obliged grudgingly, but, according to the guard, not long after after he saw the car driving off, he heard a "loud bang" and fell on the ground.
After coming to his senses, he realized it was the vehicle that he had just sent away that exploded. He recalls it was dark all around him, with injured, confused people who were in the vicinity crying for help and trying to escape the scene of the explosion.
Read the witnesses' and survivors' accounts here:
Kano Explosion: Bomb Ripped Girl's Stomach Open... – Survivor
Kano Explosion: Baby Knocked Off Mother's Arms Survives Blast
Another witness confirmed the story, adding the security guard's move might have saved dozens of lives, as the death toll could have been much higher if bomb went off near the hotel.
The witness, who spoke to Vanguard, said the car exploded by the maisuya (barbecue grill) joint, and the driver, the suya man and his three customers were killed instantly.
However, another witness, Mathew John, who resides opposite the hotel, states he saw the driver of the car exiting the vehicle and "walking very fast" away from it. While verifying the security guard’s story to the point where the driver sped away, Mr. John says he saw the driver parking by the "other side" of the hotel near the middle of the road and then walking away. Speaking to Daily Trust, he maintained that the devastating blast occurred in the next ten minutes or so.
On Monday, Kano State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Aderenle Shinaba repeated the information that was contained in the statement posted on the same day to the official website of the Nigeria Police Force: five people, including the driver of the explosives-laden vehicle, were killed in the blast, while seven others sustained injuries.
Local residents have argued they saw at least nine lifeless bodies scattered on the ground and, like Mr. John, suggested the driver of the vehicle escaped and is alive.
Source: Legit.ng
