They Planned To Bomb Abuja, Says Monarch Of FCT Community Where School Explosions Killed Two

The bomb that exploded at the Tsangagyar Sani Usman Islamiyya School, Kuchibuyi, a rural community on the outskirts of Kubwa in the Federal Capital Territory, was meant for an attack inside Abuja.

This was revealed by the District Head of Kuchibuyi, Isiaka Dauda, when THE WHISTLER visited his palace on Tuesday morning.

The FCT Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh,in a statement on Monday confirmed that two persons died while two others were injured when a bomb exploded at the Tsangagyar Sani Uthman Islamiyya School, located in Kuchibuyi Village, Kubwa, Byazhin area of Abuja.

Adeh said the police received a distress call from the district head of the village and sent a team of police operatives, including the Command’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team and the Area Commander of Kubwa, to the scene.

“Preliminary investigations revealed that three men from Katsina had visited the owner of the Islamic school, Mallam Adamu Ashimu. The three visitors are suspected of having brought the explosive device with them,” Adeh said

Speaking to THE WHISTLER, the district head said the men arrived four days ago from Katsina and settled into the Islamiyya, which is also used as a lodge for almajiri, without informing him.

He said the head of the Islamiyya, Mallam Adamu Ashimu, who is in police custody, was supposed to inform him if anyone was coming to join them at the school.

“They are supposed to inform me whenever they are coming to the community. But they just came like that four days ago without informing me, and this explosion happened,” he revealed, adding that the community had never witnessed anything like that before.

Asked what he thought could be the intention of those who brought the bomb to the school, Dauda said it was unlikely that it was meant for his community.

He said he gave them the school building so that they could have a place to teach, learn and sleep instead of sleeping outside, stressing that his community, which is predominantly Muslim, only tried to help them.

“I believe these people may be trying to plan some evil thing against somewhere in the city of Abuja. It may not be for this community; you know we’re close to Kubwa.

“It may be that they planned to go and attack in the city,” he said.

The Police said the FCT Bomb Squad confirmed that it was an IED explosion, as remnants of the device have been recovered.

The district head also told this newspaper that the tragic incident has put an end to accommodation of almajiri in the community.

“Now that this thing has happened, I will stop them from coming to this community again. I don’t want to see any almajiri here again; We (Gbagi people) also have mallams who are supposed to use that place we gave them,” he said, adding “ We will stop them from using our community.”

Following the incident, the police have advised the public to be vigilant and “report any suspicious activity, behaviour, or items that may resemble improvised explosive devices to the police via our emergency numbers.”

They Planned To Bomb Abuja, Says Monarch Of FCT Community Where School Explosions Killed Two is first published on The Whistler Newspaper