Eid overshadowed by two suicide bombings in Kano

Katsina - Two blasts by female suicide bombers killed three people and injured 13 in Nigeria's Kano city on Monday, bringing the number of attacks this week in the area to five and overshadowing festivities marking the end of Ramadan.

The violence blamed on Boko Haram Islamists marred what was supposed to be a festive day in Kano, a city of more than six million people and the largest in Nigeria's mainly Muslim north.
Kano typically celebrates Eid al-Fitr, the end of Islam's holy fasting month, with a lavish parade on horseback led by the local emir.

But those plans were scrapped late Sunday following a bombing at a church that killed five people and an attempted suicide attack by a woman at a university that was stopped by police but left five wounded.


On Monday, a woman detonated low-calibre explosives packed to her torso at a petrol station in the Hotoro area on the outskirts of the city, targeting women who had lined up to buy kerosene, Kano police spokesman Musa Magaji Majia told AFP.
The queue was long, said area vendor Habibu Ali, because the widely used cooking gas is often in short supply and when a new shipment comes in women typically rush to their local vendor.
Majia said 10 victims were rushed to the hospital after the blast that went off at roughly 10:30 am (0930 GMT) and that three had died.
Hotoro area resident Shehu Mudi said he saw burning jerry cans and ambulances carting away victims minutes after the blast.

- Shopping centre targeted -
Roughly three hours after the petrol station blast another female bomber approached the Trade Fair Complex in a key commercial district, Kano state police chief Aderele Shinaba told AFP.
She was stopped at the gate and blew herself up, he added.
"It was the same modus operandi," Shinaba said. "Six people were injured, including two (police) officers."
The target holds symbolic importance in Kano, lying just next to the brand new Ado Bayero Shopping Centre, which opened in March to huge public excitement.
The launch of a modern shopping complex, including the only northern Nigeria outlet of the South African retailer Shoprite, was seen as a sign that the restive city was still attractive to investors, despite the waves of Islamist violence.
While there was no immediate claim of responsibility, Boko Haram, the extremist group blamed for killing more than 10,000 people in Nigeria since 2009, was likely to be held responsible for the latest bloodshed.
Double bombings on Sunday and Monday as well as an attack at a bus station on Thursday that killed at least four people underscored Boko Haram's commitment to striking Kano after attacks in the city had declined earlier this year.
In a wave of assaults in key urban centres, including Kano and the capital Abuja, the militant group has in recent months shown that it plans to further expand its uprising outside its stronghold in the remote northeast.
- Spreading across border -
Boko Haram, fighting to create an Islamic state in Nigeria's mostly Muslim north, is widely viewed by experts as having a largely domestic agenda.
But neighbouring Cameroon has seen a spike in unrest in recent months, raising concern that the insurgency may spread beyond Nigeria's borders, creating a wider crisis which the region's troubled militaries are ill-equiped to contain.

Two attacks in northern Cameroon on Sunday killed at least 15 people, with the wife of the country's deputy prime minister Amadou Ali among a dozen people reportedly kidnapped, according to security sources.
"Barbarism has crossed our borders," said Cameroon's minister of communications, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, after the incident.

The attacks have worried residents and expats living in Cameroon, which is unused to the level of violence Nigeria has faced at the hands of militants.
"The situation is catastrophic. It is getting worse," a French citizen living in the north of the country told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The dramatic raids in the Kolofata region -- a haven for Boko Haram activities -- follow the deaths of several Cameroonian soldiers and gendarmes in two attacks blamed

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Sallah: Security beefed up in public places in FCT

Abuja - Security measures have been reinforced in some public places and markets in the FCT ahead of the Eid-el Fitri celebrations.

A visit to some of these places in the FCT by the media on Saturday revealed that corporate and private establishments were leaving nothing to chance as far as security was concerned.

Speaking with the media, Ebere Okoroafor, one of the managers of the Jabi Motor Park, noted that the park had put elaborate security measures in place to spot suspicious movements in the premises.

Okoroafor said “although the authorities in the park are doing their best to make sure that people coming in are properly screened but we cannot be perfect.”



“Many people are actually coming into the park because of the Sallah celebration.”

 “Some are coming in to send items to their families, while some are travelling to various locations to celebrate with their loved ones,” he said.

Okoroafor appealed to the Federal Capital Territory Administration to assist them to stop illegal and indiscriminate parking.

He said this would enable the appropriate authorities concentrate on proper monitoring of the approved parking slots.

 “We have also written to Utako Police Station, Vehicle Inspection Officer (VIO) and the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) for assistance on this very issue,” he said.

He advised members of the public to avoid patronising such parks as they were not secured to ensure a hitch free Sallah celebration.

Aisha Abdullahi, a customer at the Garki Modern market, said she came to the market because she was sure the place was safe.

 “After the bombing of some places in the FCT, the market authorities have seriously improved in the area security.”
“Cars parked indiscriminately are being evacuated while bags and goods of people coming in and out of the market are now screened.

“You can also see that the market authority had even evacuated some long parked vehicles around the market to make sure they will not be found wanting in any way,” she said.

A trader at Wuse market, Mr Obinna Ikeji, who deals mainly in foodstuff, said that the patronage had been very low compared to what they had during the Sallah celebration in 2013.

“Last year is better off; people are even scared of coming to the market because of fear of the unknown.

 “But the market authorities and individuals are very vigilant,” he said.

At the Wuse market, NAN also observed that cars and people coming to the market have to undergo proper checks before they can drive in or walk into the market.

At the Area 1 Shopping Complex, individuals are also being screened properly both at the entrance and the exit points.

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Sallah: Sultan urged insurgents to end terrorism

Sokoto - The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, has called on all perpetrators of terrorism in the country, especially in the northern part, to fear God and stop such heinous acts.

Abubakar, who made the call on Sunday in Sokoto in his Sallah message to Nigerians, said that the insecurity in the country had led to loss of many lives and property.

According to him, the massive losses of innocent lives and property are highly regrettable and they are “un-Islamic".

He noted that Nigerians were facing various forms of difficulties as a result of the recurring insurgency and other criminal acts.



He therefore charged Nigerians to sustain prayers “for God to either touch the hearts of the terrorists or expose them.”

The Sultan commended security agencies for efforts being made to contain the insecurity, and urged them to remain unrelenting.

He appealed to the people to complement the efforts of the security agencies of maintaining peace and unity with their support, adding that the task of doing so should be regarded as a collective responsibility by all Nigerians.

He appealed to political leaders in Nigeria to ensure that social justice prevailed, saying that it was the “condition for sustainable peace and unity”.

"We should all fear God and regard leadership as a trust and we will be accountable to Him,” he said.

"We are also commending Gov. Aliyu Wamakko for initiating and successfully implementing various welfare programmes for the people of the state," he added.

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