A victim of bomb blast at the Plateau State Hospital yesterday.
No fewer than 10 people were feared dead yesterday when suicide bombers attacked St. Finbarr's Catholic Church, close to Rayfield Government House, Jos, the Plateau State capital. Among those killed were seven parishioners, including a pregnant woman.
The three others were reportedly shot dead by soldiers. The blast, which went off at the church gate around 10a.m. when the worshippers were still in the church, left about 25 persons injured.
About 35 vehicles beinlonging to the worshipers were also destroyed in the incident. Other buildings across the road opposite the church were equally destroyed.
The incident was coming barely two weeks after the Church of Christ in Nigeria, COCIN, headquarters also in Jos was attacked by suicide bombers and killed four people, including the suicide bombers while several vehicles were destroyed.
In yesterday's attack, National Mirror gathered that the two suicide bombers came in a car and a motorbike and headed straight to the church gate.
As they discovered the heavy security mounted at the entrance, they rammed the two automobiles simultaneously at the church gate and the bomb exploded, killing the two suicide bombers instantly and four other church worshippers, including a pregnant woman.
The vibration caused by the bomb also shattered the church building. Over 20 church members who were inside the church compound sustained varying degrees of injuries. Former Vice-Chancellor, Plateau State
University, PLASU, Prof. John Wade, a worshipper gave an eyewitness account: At about 10.30a.m. on Sunday morning, 10 minutes after I entered the church, two suicide bombers in a Vento car and a motor bike rammed into the church gate and the next thing we heard was a big explosion which left the two suicide bombers dead instantly and four other church worshippers, including a pregnant woman who was burnt beyond recognition.
If not that the gate of the church was firmly locked, the number of the casualty would have been very high, but thank God, the gate of the church was firmly locked thereby reducing the number of the casualty.
National Mirror gathered that the former VC had his vehicle, 406 ash colour car, destroyed by the impact from the blast. He said most of the affected worshippers were not inside the church, but in the church compound attending the service that was going on as at the time the suicide bombers struck.
The incident also led to a reprisal attack in some parts of the town but soldiers and other security agents immediately moved in to contain the situation. Spokesman of the Plateau State Police Command, Mr. Samuel Dabai, confirmed the bomb explosion to National Mirror yesterday.
He said no fewer than 10 persons were killed in the attack while about 10 others sustained injuries and were receiving treatment at hospitals in Jos.
At the Plateau State Specialist Hospital where some of the injured were taken, doctors and nurses were seen battling to save the injured. One of the nurses, who refused to give her name, said that six people were brought dead to the hospital while 11 people with gunshot wounds were under critical condition.
One of the victims, Emmanuel Gyang, who said he was at the church premises when the bomb exploded said: I was just inside the church when I decided to ease myself outside.
As I came out, ,suddenly I heard a loud sound the bomb lifted me up very high from the ground and I landed on the ground with my head first. Another victim, Dung Nyam, who said he was shot by the soldiers in the two legs described how it happened: After we heard the sound of the blast and loud wailing from the crowd, I rushed to the church to see what has happened only to be shot by a soldier drafted to the area to rescue the injured. He wanted to shot me dead if not that another woman beside me dragged me out.
The Catholic Bishop of Jos Diocese, Ignatius Kaigama, described the bomb attack on Christians as evil. He said: People are being robbed of their faith and that robbers of faith will not go unpunished. Meanwhile, President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday commiserated with the victims of the bomb attack, the entire congregation of the church and the government and people of Plateau State.
In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, the President conveyed his sincerest and heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims.
Jonathan reiterated his administration's total condemnation of the latest incident and all other terrorist attacks on innocent Nigerians while reassuring all Nigerians and friends of the country that the Federal Government is doing everything possible to end the spate of mindless attacks and killings in parts of the country.
The President urges Nigerians not to despair or be discouraged by the persistence of the attacks in spite of government's efforts to deal decisively with the menace of terrorism within the country's borders, saying that despite seeming appearances to the contrary, government is indeed winning the war against the terrorists and would continue to progressively destroy their ability to unleash murderous attacks on peaceful, law-abiding Nigerians.
In this regard, it is worthy of note that in recent weeks national security agencies have identified and arrested more of these agents of darkness than at any other time. Their hideouts and modus operandi are also being consistently exposed, Jonathan said.
The President also assured Nigerians that Government will continue to build on these recent successes by our security agencies until terrorism is totally defeated in the country with the support, cooperation and solidarity of all patriotic citizens.
He therefore called on the populace to remain patient and refrain from taking matters into their hands through actions such as reprisal attacks, as government continues to take the battle to the merchants of terror and close in on their locations, funding and sponsors.
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