JOS: Two Suicide Bombers Exploded Before They Reached Their Target CHURCH Killing Only Themselves

  

 Church services were hurriedly rounded off as panicky worshippers rushed home yesterday in Jos, the restive Plateau State capital where another bomb went off. When the pandemonium that followed the blast subsided, four people lay dead; 10 were injured. Two of the dead were believed to be the bomb bearers in whose hands it exploded.

Two other persons were killed by people, who spontaneously responded to the failed bomb attack, which residents believed was planned for a church. The suspected bombers were believed to have targeted Christian worshipers as Sunday services were underway at the Church of Christ International (COCIN) and the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA).

Speaker of Plateau State House of Assembly Mr. Istifanus Muansat was among the hundreds of worshipers at one of the targeted churches. Besides, an undetonated bomb was picked up by the police Anti-Bomb Squad from the premises of the Mountain of Fire and Miracle Church, Muritala Muhammed Way.

It was gathered that as the suspected bombers were approaching their target, the device went off. It exploded and killed them instantly. The loud sound of the explosion sent the worshippers fleeing. News of the incident spread quickly through phone calls and text messages. Churches ended their services abruptly. Commissioner of Police Abdelrahaman Akano said: "The incident happened at Dualla junction in Nasarawa, Jos North Local Government.

"Two people on a motorcycle were conveying some explosives and while at the road close to COCIN and ECWA churches, the devices exploded and killed two of them instantly. The motorcycle they were riding caught fire and got burnt. Akano went on: "Apart from the two people that died, two other bodies were picked up - one at Angwa Rukuba Junction and the other from a well around Tina. The youths in the area, in annoyance, set the bodies of the suspected bombers ablaze."

The police chief confirmed that another explosive was picked by the Anti-bomb Squad at the Mountain of Fire and Miracle Church on Murtala Muhammed Way.

He said: "What we do as police has been that the Anti-Bomb Squad normally combs the worship areas early Sunday morning and Friday mornings, but in this case, they did not plant the bomb; they were coming with it when it went off in their hands."

Akano went on: "We are not neglecting the fact that worship areas are on target. At the same time, we are devising our own way of tackling the menace. All we are saying is that members of the public should be at alert and promptly alert the police and any other security agencies, if they notice any suspicious movement around them."

Jos city was recently awash with rumours of intended attacks on worship centres as well as a violent election. Some of the residents contemplate fleeing the state. The Special Task Force (STF) on Jos crises (Operation Safe Haven) last week intercepted a Jos-bound trailer-load of explosives at the Kaduna-Jos boundary. But the Police Anti-Bomb Squad insisted the explosives in the truck were bought for a legitimate business by a registered company in Jos.

Loaded in the truck with registration number Kano XH 379 KMC was 15,000kg of Ammonium Nitrate, a substance used in producing explosives. The STF said the amount of Ammonite Nitrate found in the truck could be used to produce at least 100 bombs.