Police Headquarters Bombed In Abuja

•Fire fighters combating the inferno arising from the bomb explosion at the car park of Police Headquarters, Louis Edet House, Abuja, Nigeria, this morning. PHOTO: FEMI IPAYE.

•Fire fighters combating the inferno arising from the bomb explosion at the car park of Police Headquarters, Louis Edet House, Abuja, Nigeria, this morning. PHOTO: FEMI IPAYE.

Less than 48 hours after the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Hafiz Ringim issued quit notice to the outlawed Islamic sect, Boko Haram in Maiduguri the Borno state capital, explosions suspected to be bombs planted in a vehicle rocked the Police Headquarters in Abuja, today.

•Fire fighters combating the inferno arising from the bomb explosion at the car park of Police Headquarters, Louis Edet House, Abuja, Nigeria, this morning. PHOTO: FEMI IPAYE.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, quoting the police, a suicide bomber carried out the attack, adding that two persons died and 73 cars were damaged after the bomb blast at the police headquarters car park in shreds.

The explosions which started at about 10:48 am shook the 7-storey, Louis Edet House, Police Headquarters, leaving all the windows on the northern side of the building facing the car park shattered and in shreds including the venatian blinds adorning the windows.

The high capacity explosion shook the entire buildings around the Police Headquarters situated at Asokoro, very close to the Presidential villa.

The blasts sent all the judges sitting over the Presidential Election Tribunal at the Court of Appeals Headquarters adjacent the Police Headquarters, scampering to safety out of the court’s premises.

Children at the police owned POWA International Primary School opposite the Police Headquarters were being evacuated as at the time of filing this report with parents clashing against one another in the rush to reach their children and wards.

Pupils at the Abubakar Mammud Gummi International Islamic Centre which is a couple of poles away from the explosion were not left out of the race for their lives as the pupils and parents were seen rushing in varrious directions for safety.

The bombs, according to one of the Police officers cordoning off the surroundings of the Police Headquarters, were planted in an old rickety dark green Mercedese Benz 200 car which was parked at the car park.

The officer whose identity could not be ascertained as he has wearing a police cardigan atop his name tag, expressed surprise as to how the vehicle beat the bomb squad and other police sentries at the Headquarters entrance without being detected.

Concerns are growing as to the possible internal support within the Police Force to the Boko Harram sect which is suspected to be the masterminds of the Police Headquarters bomb explosions.

The exact number of casualties are not known yet but police ambulance and others from other organisations were seen going in and out of the Force Headquarters.

People around the scene of the incident blamed the Police authorities for the lack of preparedness to pre-empt such an attack which the bomb explosion had exposed.

Some others view this as a slap on IGP Ringim whom they blamed for issuing out threats when his house is not protected.

As at the time of filing this report, fire fighting equipment and men were being deployed to the scene to control the fire from th exploded vehicles from spreading.

—Nnamdi Felix / Abuja

 

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