It was another black Sunday in Bauchi as a suicide bomber attacked St. John’s Catholic Church in Wunti area of Bauchi State capital killing self, two others and injuring 46 others. The attack came exactly a week after nine senior citizens were shot dead while five others were injured when gunmen opened fire on them in the Zango area of the state capital. The senior citizens were playing draught under a tree.
They were buried last Wednesday. This is even as a proposed law recommends death penalty for terrorists. Their sponsors, too, will be jailed 20 years. In yesterday’s attack, the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Bauchi, Rev. Lawi Pokti, confirmed three people were killed and more than 40 others seriously wounded in the explosion. The deputy spokesman for the state police command, Hassan Mohammed Auyo, confirmed that two policemen were among the 46 injured.
The two injured policemen were deployed in the church. Auyo said: “A suicide bomber targeted the church but he was prevented, instead, he detonated his explosives in the parking lot, killing one person and among the injured victims taken to the hospital, a boy of six to eight, died while receiving treatment.”
One of the injured, Eugine Uguru, was weeping as he narrated that his two children were killed in the blast. Eyewitnesses said the suicide bomber in a bid to beat the security personnel, took the wrong way in front of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Stadium. “He went for the first mass which is 6 am. The mass ended at 8: 55am. We had just finished the first mass and we were going out of the church.
The people coming for second mass were filing in. I just left the church premises and took a u-turn and as I was about to reach the traffic light, I suddenly heard an explosion,” Uguru said. Another eyewitness who does not want to be named, said the bomber came in an Opel car which was wrecked beyond recognition while the body of the suspect was blown into pieces. He said that the suspect tried to enter the church, but when he failed, he later detonated his explosives in a car park, killing him and one woman while injuring many people including a passer-by.
He said: “We came out from training inside the stadium and just passed the church when we heard a loud sound followed by fire and smoke, we have to run faster for our dear lives. “Police and Army cordoned off the area as the victims were evacuated to the hospital while security men blocked the road. “The drums that were filled with concerete within the church gate prevented the bomber from entering the church, reduced the casualty figure. The Nigerian Civil Defence Corps (NCDC) operatives were seen evacuating the dead and injured at Press time. One man who simply identified himself as Paul, wept as he narrated that his wife, Gloria, was killed.
He said he was still looking for his son while he prayed for the boy’s safety. There are fears that the death toll may increase. The situation has caused panic among residents particularly Christians. Rev. Pokti described the attack as unfortunate and coming a week after nine Christians were killed. Rev. Pokti called on President Goodluck Jonathan to address the lingering insecurity in the country. “Are Christians being forced to abandon the worship of their God?
What have the Christians done to warrant these unprovoked attacks? We are really disappointed becaue it is like there is no one to protect us against these killings” The CAN chairman called on the Bauchi State government to beef up security to forestall future attacks, saying Christians were no longer safe to go to church. Meanwhile, the state governemnt has condemned the attack, describing it as the handiwork of terrorists.
Mr. Ishola Michael, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Isa Yuguda, assured that the state government was doing everything possible to forestall another attack. Meanwhile, in a bid to curtail Boko Haram, the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) has acquired communication vehicles that can detect bombs as well as prevent detonation.
The communication vehicle, according to Daily Sun findings, has the capacity of detonating explosives planted within some kilometres. Similarly, the agency has established two new defence sections in Mali and Niger Republics, to curtail the invasion of Boko Haram into the country. The communication vehicles which are expected to arrive in the country this week, would enable the agency prevent incessant bomb explosions. In a related development, barring any change in the new anti-terrorism law, suspects will now get the death penalty if convicted, while their sponsors face 20 years jail. Also, anybody found to belong to a proscribed organisation and confirmed as a terrorist, equally faces up to 20 years in prison.
These penalties are contained in a Bill for an Act to make provisions for and about offences relating to conduct carried out for purposes connected with terrorism. The Terrorism (Prevention) Act, 2011 (Amendment) Bill 2012 has already scaled First Reading in the Senate. The law seeks to provide measures for the prevention , prohibition and combating terrorism, the financing of terrorism in Nigeria and for the effective implementation of the Convention on the Prevention and Combating of Terrorism and the Convention on the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism.
The Act also seeks to prescribe penalties for violating any of its provisions. In the new law, a copy of which was obtained by Daily Sun, a person “who knowingly does, attempts or threatens to do an act preparatory to or in furtherance of an act of terrorism or commits to do anything that is reasonably necessary to promote an act of terrorism or assists or facilitates the activities of persons engaged in an act of terrorism, commits an offence under this Act.” Similarly, a person “who belongs to or professes to belong to a proscribed organisation commits an offence under this Act and shall on conviction be liable to imprisonment for a maximum term of 20 years.
“A person who knowingly, in any manner, solicits or renders support for an act of terrorism or a proscribed organisation or an internationally suspected terrorist group commits an offence.
“Without prejudice to subsection (2) of this section, where death results from any terrorist act, the penalty shall be death sentence: commits an offence under this Act and shall be on conviction be liable to imprisonment term of 20 years.” Section 6 of the proposed law specifically empowers the Attorney-General of the Federation to freeze assets of suspected terrorists.
