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But amidst the tears, wailing, and anguish that was tangibly present yesterday at the various hospitals victims of the Nyanya Motor Park bomb blast were taken to, tension was worsened as relations were denied access to them.
Security was tense as relations and journalists also were barred from gaining entrance to the emergency unit of the hospital.
The entrance of the emergency unit of the National Hospital, Abuja was cordoned off to people as heavily armed policemen took over the place right from the entrance of the hospital.
Some of the relations who came to see their loved ones looked worried and distraught as they were not allowed access to them.
Speaking to LEADERSHIP at the National Hospital, Abuja, one of the relations, Nkechi Nwankwo, said she was yet to see her cousin Tochukwu whom she suspected to be among the casualties.
With tears welling up in her eyes, she said efforts to reach the bomb blast victim on the phone had proved futile and that the hospital was not helping matters by denying them access.
She disclosed that Tochukwu’s immediate senior sister was also searching for him too in Asokoro General Hospital.
Another relation, Anike Livinus was also at the hospital looking for his wife Felicia Anike, popularly called Mama Arinze.
He said she left home early yesterday morning on her way to Kado market where she normally gets her fish which she sells at the market.
A labourer, Udede ThankGod expressed misgivings on whether he would be able to identify his nephew who lives with him and whom he claimed was a victim of the blast .
“The way I am seeing it now, I won’t be able to identify the corpse whether he’s alive or not. He’s my senior brother’s son and he has been living with me. He said he wanted to go to work early so that he can make enough money to get his driver’s license. He was an okada driver.”
However, one of the wives of the victim, Mrs Ngozi Iluoha, 40 was lucky as she told LEADERSHIP that she was able to see her husband, Valentine Iluoha, briefly before he was wheeled away at the emergency unit of the National Hospital, Abuja.
Speaking to LEADERSHIP, the mother of three children, said she got to know about the blast from a relative based in Enugu who called to inform her.
According to Iluoha, when she tried calling her husband three times on the phone whom she claimed worked with Abuja Urban Mass Transit, she was told by somebody who answered that she should come straight to the hospital as her husband was critically injured.
Waxing philosophical, she said all was well, saying that her husband was able to raise his head and told her “all is well.”
Relations weep at hospital
The scene at the Nyanya General Hospital was gory and pathetic as the hospital was the first port of call victims were taken to in view of the proximity of the hospital to the scene of the incident.
Indeed, it was a tearful scene as friends and relations of the victims wept uncontrollably, while trading accusations, blames, and regrets on the inefficiency of the government to curb terrorism and protect the lives of the citizenry.
The activities of hospital workers and security operatives who were trying to control the surging crowd would have led to another chaotic scene at the hospital.
Though many of the relatives of the victims were unable to talk to the press, one of them, Mary Sonjo, who managed to speak wept uncontrollably,
According to her, the sound of the bomb blast resonated all around the Mararaba/Nyanya environs and her brother whom she identified as Ade Sonjo was affected.
Confusion at makurdi motor parks as passengers refuse to embark on journey
Following the explosion that rocked Nyanya park in a suburb of Abuja passengers at the various motor parks in Makurdi, Benue state yesterday became confused and refused to embark on their journeys.
LEADERSHIP’s visit to some of the motor parks in Makurdi, yesterday, including New Nyanya Motors, Pleasure Travels, Benue Links and Nyanya Transport located at Duku park in Wurukum, revealed that there was panic in the area as passengers were seen making distress calls to their loved ones.
It was observed that some of the passengers who had booked the commercial vehicles to travel to Abuja later refused to board them when the sad news of the explosion broke in the state.
The news of the bombing spread as early as 6.30 am in Makurdi, yesterday.
Many of the passengers received the sad news of the untimely deaths of some of their relations. They became stranded, confused and insisted that they must withdraw their fares from the managers of the transport companies in order to make proper arrangements before proceeding on the journey.
Mr. Oche Olokpo, 45, a civil servant in Abuja said he came for weekend and was set to travel back to resume work. He said “I am confused because I have just been told that a relation of mine who was about to travel to Makurdi was trapped in the explosion.”
Riot averted after blast
Youths at the scene of yesterday’s bomb blast Nyanya almost took the frustration on security personnel who were battling to control the crowd that had thronged the Nyanya Motor Park, scene of the incident.
But, it took a combined team of Army, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, FRSC, and not policemen to control the crowd, who blamed the incident on government’s inability to provide the area with adequate security.
One of the youths who craved anonymity told LEADERSHIP that the youths were angry that the government has been paying lip-service to security matters and should be blamed for the insecurity.
“We are very angry about what just happened. It is really bad that the masses get no protection from our government. We would not tolerate this if the government cannot protect us, we would find means to protect ourselves,” he threatened.
Another lady at the scene was seeing raining insults on the military men, obviously pouring the frustration of losing her brother in the blast on them as she cried out, “My brother, my brother, why did this happen, security you have failed us.”
As at time of filing this report, the identity of the masterminds of the blast was unknown, but eyewitnesses said that the car that was used for the attack was a Golf 2, with Lagos State number plate.
Nigerians troop to donate blood for bomb blast victims
Nigerians came out emmass yesterday to donate blood to victims of Nyanya bomb blast in different hospitals in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in order to help in their treatment.
When LEADERSHIP visited Asokoro hospital, it gathered that over 50 persons have donated their blood, while about 20 others were seen waiting for their turn.
One of the senior officialof the hospital who did not want her name on print, stated that 26 victims of the blast were currently receiving treatment at the hospital, adding that 27 corpses were deposited in the hospital morgue, despite the fact that the place was filled up.
She said, “27 corpses were brought to Asokoro Hospital, the corpses were many, but we had to tell them that we did not have enough space, that we were only able to accommodate 27 corpses, because the morgue was occupied. It was not as if the freezer was able to contain them, we just sprayed Fomaline on them to kept them like that.
“26 victims that survived are responding to treatment. The people are coming to donate blood for the victims free of charge and they are coming on their own.
“We are overwhelmed with work that is why the National Blood Donation. Center was here to take some of the blood donors to their office. We are really grateful for everyone who have contributed to bathe treatment of these people,” she said.
Mr. Casmi Akuma, one of the blood donors at Asokoro General Hospital, said that when he woke and went on facebook, seeing the bomb blast at Nyanya made him depressed, that was when he heard that anybody that wished to donate blood for the victims should go to Asokoro hospital.
“I have been here since 9am, with one of my in-laws and it is about 4pm, and our blood has just been collected. I must commend Nigerians, especially the youth, who trooped out in large numbers to donate blood. The problem was that there were not much people to bleed those that wanted to donate blood. We were about 40 people that came, but close to 50 donated before I left the lab,” he said.
Another donor, Mr. Nelson Alusigwe, said that he could not hold himself when he heard the announcement, he had to come and save lives by donating his blood, saying that he believed that this dastardly act has opened the eyes of everybody to sit up and be vigilant.
“Before now, we hear that it is happening in Borno, now it is close to us, that means that nowhere in Nigeria is safe any longer. This is a wakeup call for every individual, where ever we are to come out enmass to see how we can tackle this situation, because, it is going out of hands. I want to appeal to people out there to come and save lives by donating their blood for the victims survival,” he said.
Impact on neighbouring communities
The vibration of the bomb blast sent pandemonium around neighbouring communities such as Kubgo, Masaka, Ado, and Mararaba all in Nasarawa State.
Most residents said they could not go work after the blast because they were afraid. Also some residents said properties and glass windows were shattered in nearby community such as Karu
Residents of Karu and Nyanya under bridge said they heard loud blast forcing them to scamper for safety.
The residents said they could not leave their homes as they were unsure of what had happened. Some say they had to make phone calls and until news started filtering in before they could go out of their homes.
Credit: Leadership
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