THE AFRIKA MARKET EDITORIAL
By ; JIDE ADESINA
A powerful blast, believed to have been triggered by two female suicide bombers, ripped through a car park near a stadium in northeastern Nigeria on Monday where President Goodluck Jonathan had just addressed a campaign rally, officials said.
Goodluck Jonathan left re-election rally in stadium in northeastern city of Gombe just three minutes before deadly blast
“We have evacuated two bodies of females we believe were suicide bombers behind the blast,” an unnamed rescue worker told The Afrika Market. That statement was also confirmed by an anonymous staff member at Gombe State Specialist Hospital.
According to The Afrika Market, 18 people were injured and have been admitted to hospital for treatment.
An Witnesses attending the rally in the city of Gombe said the explosion took place just three minutes after Jonathan had left the stadium.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility, although suspicion is likely to fall on Islamist militant group Boko Haram, which has attacked Gombe several times. On Sunday a suicide bombing near a mosque in the market area there killed five people and wounded eight.
Mohammed Bolari, who was at the rally in the northeastern city, said the explosion happened at 3.10pm (2.10pm GMT), just three minutes after Mr Jonathan’s departure.
A local reporter who asked not to be named said: “The president had just passed the parking lot and we were trailing behind his convoy when the explosion happened… just 100 metres from the bus we were driving in.”
Mr Jonathan had been speaking to supporters of his ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as part of his bid for re-election at polls in two weeks’ time.
His appearance in the city came just a day after two blasts in the city, including one that targeted a military checkpoint. At least five people were killed.
Akeem Mohammed said of the latest blast: “It is difficult to say how many people were affected because of the confused struggle by the huge crowd leaving the venue to escape for fear of another blast.”
One of the reporter said that the explosion led to unrest in the city, with crowds of angry youths attacking anyone seen with any PDP signs.
“They were shouting and denouncing the president’s visit which they blamed for the attack,” he added.
“We had a difficult time passing through these crowds. At one point a crowd threw stones at our vehicle. Some reporters sustained cuts from smashed window screens.”
Nigeria is due to hold presidential elections on February 14, pitting the ruling People’s Democratic Party’s Jonathan against former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari for the opposition All Progressives Congress.
Both candidates are wrapping up their campaigns for what is expected to be the most closely fought election since the end of military rule in 1999.
There is a need for politicians (especially the high ranking and most influential ones) to display more responsibility and refrain from utterances and speeches that may trigger volatile and violent reactions from groups of persons to threaten the outcomes of the elections. Our religious and traditional platforms must be effectively utilized to mobilize Nigerians towards avoiding acts inimical to peace and security in the country. In the same vein, the media and all its new variant citizens’ journalism (active on social media etc.) must constructively engage on the electoral issue and provide the general public with informed, objective and unbiased reporting that would advance citizens’ grasp of the issues at hand. Nigeria’s security arrangements must be better organized and the various institutions must raise their game to adjust their internal mechanisms towards greater regards for the tenets of the human rights and the effective protection of lives and property.
YJ Transglobal Inc / The Afrika Market in partnership with other civil rights organizations and Youth movement across the globe and Nigeria to seek innovative and cost-effective ways to expand citizens’ opportunities to constructively engage in the electoral processes. Voters’ education and knowledge expansion programmes which enable citizens to make the right connection between governance deficits and choice of leaders, should be prioritized by civil society organizations.
FRENCH VERSION
Goodluck Jonathan a laissé réélection rallye au stade de la villedu nord-est de la Gombe à trois minutes avant l’explosionmortelle
« Nous avons évacué deux corps des femelles que nous croyonsétaient des kamikazes derrière l’explosion, » un travailleur desauvetage sans nom dit le marché Afrika. Cette déclaration aégalement été confirmée par un fonctionnaire anonyme deGombe État Specialist Hospital.
Selon le marché Afrika, 18 personnes ont été blessées et ont étéadmis à l’hôpital pour traitement.
L’explosion a eu lieu à trois minutes après que Jonathan avaitquitté le stade, a déclaré un témoins Assistant à un rallye dans laville de Gombe.
Il n’y n’avait aucune revendication immédiate de responsabilité,même si la suspicion est susceptible de tomber sur le groupemilitant islamiste Boko Haram, qui a attaqué à plusieurs reprisesGombe. Le dimanche un attentat-suicide près d’une mosquéedans le quartier du marché il y a fait cinq morts et huit blessés.
Mohammed Bolari, qui était lors de la manifestation dans la villedu nord-est, a déclaré l’explosion qui s’est passé à 15:10 (2 hGMT), à seulement trois minutes après le départ de M. Jonathan.
Un journaliste local qui a demandé de ne pas être nommé a déclaré: « le Président venait d’adopter le stationnement et nousavons été à la traîne son convoi lors de l’explosion qui s’est passé… à 100 mètres de l’autobus nous roulions dans. »
M. Jonathan avait parlé à ses partisans de son arrêt rendu le Partidémocratique populaire (PDP) dans le cadre de son offre pour laréélection aux bureaux de scrutin dans semaines deux.
Son apparition dans la ville sont venus un jour seulement aprèsdeux explosions dans la ville, dont une qui a visé un poste decontrôle militaire. Au moins cinq personnes ont été tuées.
Akeem Mohammed a dit du dernier souffle: « Il est difficile dedire combien de personnes ont été touchées à cause de la lutteconfuse par la foule énorme quitter le lieu de rendez-vous des’échapper par crainte d’une autre explosion. »
Un de la journaliste a déclaré que l’explosion a mené à l’agitationdans la ville, avec des foules de jeunes en colère attaquentn’importe qui vu avec des signes PDP.
« Ils étaient crier et dénoncer la visite du président qu’ilsrendaient l’attaque », a-t-il ajouté.
“Nous avons eu un temps difficile en passant par ces foules. À unmoment donné une foule ont lancé des pierres sur notrevéhicule. Quelques coupures soutenue reporters de persiennesbrisé. »
Nigeria est en raison de tenir des élections présidentielles le 14février, opposant à la décision du peuple Jonathan du partidémocrate contre l’ancien dirigeant militaire Muhammadu Buharipour l’opposition tous les progressistes Congrès.
Les deux candidats sont envelopper leurs campagnes pour ce quidevrait être le plus combattu près élection depuis la fin durégime militaire en 1999.
