Last Thursday’s bomb attack at the Police Headquarters in Abuja, LEADERSHIP investigations can authoritatively confirm, happened while the inspector general of Police (IGP), Mr. Hafiz Ringim, was in the lift headed for his office.
The suicide bombers struck at the car park a few metres away. Impeccable sources told LEADERSHIP that the bombers came in two cars and had successfully beaten security checks at the entrance into Louis Edet House because the bomb devices brought by the terrorists were not frisked as had been the practice for all incoming vehicles.
Investigations reveal that the militants took advantage of the lee-way given to the IGP’s convoy to gain entrance into the building without passing through screening protocol. When they were challenged by a vigilant senior mobile police officer as to why they were closing in on the IGP’s convoy, the suspected suicide bombers, who came in a yellow Mercedes Benz, and a Honda car, reportedly disguised their identities and responded in fluent English, claiming that they were close associates of the IGP and had been holding some confidential discussions with him at home, but had come to the Louis Edet House at the IGP’s invitation to conclude the ‘matter’.
Unsure of their lame excuse for following the IGP’s convoy so closely, the officer in question was said to have slapped the militant and ordered a road traffic officer stationed at the gate to direct the terrorists to the visitors’ car park, where their papers and identities were to have been examined. Minutes after being forced to detour to the general car park, the twin–bomb went off, killing scores of civilians and police officers.
Further investigations reveal that the IGP’s convoy may have been tailed from his residence, unknown to his galaxy of armed police escorts.
LEADERSHIP checks reveal that the IGP has at least eight vehicles in his convoy. The actual number of vehicles in the convoy is determined by his mission at any given time. There may be more or fewer vehicles depending on the circumstances.
Meanwhile, LEADERSHIP investigations can also confirm that the leader of the Federal Fire Service, Wuse, Prince Uche, who led his team in fighting the blaze that consumed at least 75 cars at the police car park, sustained a major knee injury in the line of duty.
When LEADERSHIP called at the Wuse branch of the Fire Service to confirm the state of health of the injured top official, he was said to have been away from work yesterday as a result of the knee injury. The area commander of the Wuse branch of the Fire Service, Mr. Karebo Samsom, confirmed to LEADERSHIP that an officer had a knee injury but expressed the hope that the officer would recover speedily.
Attempts to reach him via telephone were abortive as his phone rang many times without a response.
“I want to believe that he would be fine. Mr Uche led the fire-fighting operation from this place to the police headquarters. We were alerted from our head office in Garki Area 10 that there had been a fire accident as a result of a bomb blast. This is part of the hazards of our job. What we do is that we try our best to minimize it and to ensure that there is no loss of life.
"But we have been trained to know what to do in such a situation. What happened was that the situation was so chaotic. When we arrived, people were still running from place to place in panic. Some even scaled the fence. So in the midst of the panic and general sense of insecurity, not knowing if any more cars were laden with bombs, we got to work. We were really not sure about our security but we believed it was part of our duties to put out the fire anyway.
"As we attempted to put out fire in one car, another went up in huge flame. We could still see some of the bomb devices on the floor. It was so hectic fighting the fire that followed the bomb. Luckily, in fire-fighting parlance, nobody takes glory. It’s team work. It took us nearly two hours to completely put out the fire. What compounded the fire was that most of the vehicles had full tank of fuel, so that increased the blaze.
“We had fire fighting equipment from the NNPC, National Assembly, the Air Force, the Federal Fire Service, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The NNPC luckily came with roughly 10,000 litres of water and 5,000 litres of foam solution. These helped a lot. The National Assembly fire truck was highly sophisticated that it could launch into the fire site without our men going close. This cooperation helped a lot to stop the fire after serious battle with it.”
Suspected Boko Haram sect members, Thursday morning, bombed the Police Headquarters Abuja an attack believed to have been in response to the IGP’s statement in Maiduguri, while receiving vehicles, including 10 armoured personnel carriers(APCs) donated to it by the Borno State government, that the days of the Boko Haram sect were numbered. The militant sect had claimed responsibility for the bombing.
More than 700 people may have lost their lives in hostilities with the militant sect across various parts of the northern states where it has a strong base. Founded in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, by Ustaz Mohammed Yusuf, the sect is said to have demanded the entrenchment of Sharia system of government in 12 northern states of the country. In July 2009, the Boko Haram launched its first attack in clashes between security forces and the group.
Meanwhile, the Canadian Government has condemned the June 16 suicide bombing at Nigeria Police Headquarters that killed eight persons and offered to assist Nigeria improve its security structure.
“Canadians stand together with the Nigerian people in deploring this act of terrorism. We will continue to assist the people and government of Nigeria as they strive to improve security and consolidate the gains it has made in democracy and the rule of law,” John Baird, Canada’s foreign affairs minister, said in a statement made available to LEADERSHIP.
He said that the blast, which was so loud that it was heard at the High Commission of Canada, should not deter Nigeria from continuing with its new-found zeal in reforming the country.
Baird disclosed that no Canadian citizen was hurt in the attack and expressed his country’s “sincere condolences to the families and friends of those killed” and wished “speedy recovery to the injured”.
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