Kano explosion- CAN says explosions show hypocrisy in call for amnesty

Monday 18th March was  yet another bloody day in Kano as  over 30 passengers, drivers and visitors  lost their lives to explosions at an inter-state  luxury bus park in the city.Shortly before the  blasts, an Islamic militant group, Boko Haram members laid siege to some schools in Maiduguri,  Borno State, killing  four  teachers and injuring several others, including pupils.

President Goodluck Jonathan described the explosion as barbaric and the cause was uncertain as of 8pm on Monday. While some eyewitnesses attributed  it   to improvised explosive devices  planted in a luxury bus in the ever-busy park, others  said  it was  carried out by three suicide bombers.

 The  explosions also left many injured and  some  buses destroyed in the park located in the  Sabon Gari, an area mostly inhabited by non-indigenes.

 Reuters correspondent at the scene said he counted over 30 bodies that were affected by the explosions which occurred around  4.30pm. But one of the   eyewitness put the casualty figure at  more than 60.

Chairman of  the Kano chapter of  Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Tobias Idika, said records available to him showed that more than  60 persons died  and  five luxury buses  burnt.

“This is the worst experience of  the Igbo in Kano; we have lost over 60 souls, while five buses were burnt to ashes . These show  that we have always been the target of the attacks.

 One eyewitness claimed that the bombers had arrived close to the park in a Volswagen Golf laden with explosives.

He   said that as the 59-seater luxury  bus was about to  leave the park on New Road garage,  the bombers  threw the devices into it.

   “IEDs were kept inside a luxurious bus which was about to leave Kano for Lagos.

culled from punch