Bomb scare in Bauchi,Kano

Barely two days after the twin bomb blasts in Jos market which claimed over 100 lives, there was pande­monium yesterday at ‘Laushi’ shopping com­plex of the popular ‘Wun­ti’ market in Bauchi when some objects suspected to be Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) were seen in the complex.

The discovery of the sus­pected explosives caused panic  among the traders and customers, just as rumour spread in the Bauchi State capital that the market was on fire. Continue....

Commenting on the in­cident, the Police Public Relations Officer for the state command, DSP Ha­runa Muhammed, said they were alerted to the suspected bombs, adding that the anti-bomb squads were deployed to the scene immediately, and they discovered that the items were three kerosene stoves, which were later evacuated by the police.

Mohammed, however, urged traders in the market and all other markets in the metropolis to be vigilant and report the presence of strange objects to the police in good time, and stay away from same, pending the ar­rival of anti-bomb experts.

Also, in Kano, civil ser­vants at the Audu Bako Sec­retariat, yesterday fled their duty posts because of an abandoned vehicle suspected to be laced with explosive devices.

The vehicle, a Honda, had been parked at the secretariat for some time and was not immediately identified as be­longing to any of the staff of the secretariat. This triggered the suspicion of the workers, who in turn, quickly drew the attention of the police.

While policemen from the Anti Bomb Disposal Unit were on their way, news of the suspected vehicle went round the offices and in a matter of minutes, the pan­icky workers dropped what­ever they were doing and fled the area.

Contacted on the bomb scare, the Police Public Re­lations Officer, Assistant Superintendent of Police Magaji Magiya, confirmed the incident, but said that the suspected vehicle had been checked by their officers and nothing dangerous was found.
 
He suspected that the vehicle belonged to a staff of University of Dutse, Jiga­wa State, whose identity card was found inside the car, adding that the vehicle had been taken to the police headquarters for further in­vestigation.

Thanking the workers for their vigilance and prompt report to the police, he urged members of the public to report any suspicious char­acter or object in their imme­diate environment to security agencies .