Three suspects have been arrested in connection with an early morning bomb explosion at the Gombe Motor Park which left an unconfirmed number of persons dead and several others injured. The State Commissioner of Police, Mr Kudu Nma, told newsmen in Gombe that a vehicle with an inscription ‘Yobe Line’ was reported to have brought the suspected bombers to the park. “A vehicle which was suspected to have carried the bombers who came in with Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) was recovered. “Unfortunately for them, they were caught when they were about to run away,” he said. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the explosion had gone off around 9.30 a.m. at the park, leaving many dead and several others with various degrees of injuries.
The explosion had occurred at a time when many passengers were at the park boarding vehicles to various destinations. NAN reports that there was pandemonium around the area immediately after the incident as hundreds of youths from different directions descended on the park. They threw stones at security personnel and other rescue workers who were evacuating corpses and the injured. The security operatives had to shoot into the air to disperse the rampaging youths. The bodies of the victims were later conveyed to the Gombe Specialist Hospital, while those injured were also taken to other hospitals for treatment.
At the Specialist Hospital, a mortuary attendant who pleaded for anonymity said 23 corpses were deposited there. Meanwhile, the park and the surrounding area have been cordoned off while normalcy has been restored. Also, many residents of the city have been visiting the hospital, trying to check if their relatives were among the victim Over 30 people were said to have been killed in an explosion that rocked the popular Gombe Line Transport Services Limited in Gombe State on Friday morning.
Police and eyewitnesses said the explosion occurred around 9.30am leaving several people dead and scores of others injured. The state police command has confirmed the blast, adding that it had arrested three suspects in connection with the explosion. It however did not give any casualty figure.
Credit: NAN