A survivor of yesterday’s suicide bombing in the Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN) headquarters, Jos,? Mr? Appolos Damburam, has revealed how two suicide bombers dressed in army uniform carried out their deadly mission in? an exotic jeep. Damburam, who told journalists that he did not believe he would be alive to tell the story, said one of the suicide bombers drove towards the church in a jeep.
LEADERSHIP had exclusively reported, last Tuesday (detained Boko Haram spokesman Abul Qaqa’s) confession in SSS custody, in which he revealed how the sect snatched exotic vehicles which they used for suicide bombing missions.
Damburam, 58, who found himself under rubble with injuries after the attack, said when he saw the jeep approaching he wondered why the jeep was heading towards the church at a frightening speed.
?“Before I could open my mouth to ask why the car was coming too close to the church, the blast occurred. I discovered later that I was still alive and touched the man beside me just to be sure he too was alive. I have never seen anything like this before. A blast in our church? I cannot believe such wickedness,” Damburam said.
Another survivor, Mr. Denis Choji,? who was rushed to the Plateau Specialist Hospital, Jos, following injuries received in the blast, said the explosion caused a huge conflagration.
?“I only saw fire coming towards me. In my confusion, I started running. I didn’t even know the time I jumped the huge fence of the church and scurried away.”
Choji had his face, hands and laps terribly burnt from the blast but maintained that he was lucky to be alive. “I thank God that I survived that terrible bomb blast. I give God the glory”, he said.
The dead and injured
No fewer than eight people were killed and over 38 received various degrees of injuries when the two suicide bombers dressed in army uniform forced themselves into the church (COCIN) headquarters during the first service worship yesterday.
Also, over 30 vehicles were destroyed in the explosion which rocked the church premises located a few meters to the Central Bank of Nigeria, Jos area office and the state Joint Task Force office.
LEADERSHIP gathered that the suicide bombers stormed the premises of the church at about 7.30am and while the Boys’ Brigade members manning the entrance of the church stopped the suicide bombers’ vehicle from entering the premises, a soldier went and opened the gate for the bombers who went straight to the building and forcefully drove into it.
The impact of the explosion was said to have shattered the body of one of the suicide bombers into pieces, while the second person jumped out of the car, attempting to escape the blast. He was however, said to have been lynched by some youths.
President of COCIN, Rev. Soja Bewarang, was said to have wept uncontrollably after he received the news of the attack. He said he did not know why the attack pulled through. He declared that the church’s headquarters in Jos was “fully secured’’.
“Only God knows why He allowed it to happen because we have always done our best to secure the place,’’ Bewarang lamented at the scene of the blast.
Also, some Christian youths reportedly rioted in suspected reprisal attacks and allegedly burnt some shops.
Sect claims responsibility
The terrorist Boko Haram sect, in a swift reaction yesterday, claimed responsibility for the bombing at COCIN headquarters in Jos, saying that it was a reprisal attack over the killing of their members.
?In a video message published on its website, the group’s spokesman said the attack was an act of retaliation and a war between Muslims and non-Muslims, which would only end when all of its members had been annihilated.
?It said: “Indeed we carried out the attack in the town of Suldaniyya which is normally called Plateau or what some call Jos. We are responsible for the attack.? If you don’t know us, we are Jama’atu ahlus sunnah lid da’awati wal jihad which was falsely labelled Boko Haram, and we did this because our Creator has ordered us to wage war on everyone who does not embrace the religion of Islam after preaching to them.”?
Pastor Saw Blast In A Dream
A member of the church, Mrs. Helen Nerle, who also reacted to the attack, told how the pastor of the church, Rev. Stephen Vongdip, had foreseen the bomb attack in a dream and assured members of God’s intervention.
?“He had the dream in November when he was still in Lagos. On arrival here in January, he told us of the dream, and assured us of God’s mercy. He told us to pray and not be afraid. That dream came to pass today. We give God the glory for protecting his own and ensuring that the casualty figure is minimal,” she said.
Attack is targeted at me – Jang
In his reaction, Plateau State governor Mr. Jonah Jang, who also worships in the bombed COCIN headquarters, said he was not surprised by the attack, adding that he was the attackers’ main target. According to him, government was doing everything possible to arrest the situation.
It took the timely intervention of the governor to prevent what would have become a major mayhem as irate youths attempted to take on the military who they accused of complicity in the attack. They blocked the roads leading to the church and barred the soldiers from gaining access.
“We are doing everything to make sure that churches and mosques are protected from these attacks. It will not help anybody if we start rioting. In any case, who shall we riot against? These people are the ones that the security should be able to unravel. So allow them to do their work,” Jang pleaded.??
We’ll bring masterminds to justice – Jonathan
?President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday appealed to residents of Plateau State to remain calm and law-abiding, adding that government was gradually and firmly bringing justice to those behind the many suicide bombings that bedeviled some parts of the country, including the latest – that of the headquarters of the Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN) in Jos.
?In a statement by his special adviser on media and publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, Jonathan noted that it was with great sadness that he received the news of the suicide bombing and the reprisals that followed the incident. He assured that security forces were already exposing their identities and dismantling their terror infrastructure.
?”Those behind similar acts of terror in recent times have been arrested and are being investigated with a view to prosecuting them accordingly, as a deterrent to others. As we mourn with today's victims, let it be known that efforts are being redoubled to win the war against terror,” he said.
7 Suspected Bombers Nabbed
In another development, seven persons who attempted to bomb the Bauchi State branch of the Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN) yesterday escaped lynching from irate youths after their attempt was foiled by the police. The Bauchi State police command apprehended the seven people at ‘Miya Barkatai’ in Toro local government area of the state.
The state commissioner of police, Mr. Ikechukwu Aduba, who confirmed the incident, explained that the suspects were caught with dangerous weapons and explosives meant for destroying the place of worship.
?“Immediately we got the report, we deployed our men who arrested seven of the suspects with something like explosives and we are waiting for the bomb experts to confirm because, sometimes after investigation, it may turn out to be something else, not the improvised explosives devices,” he said.