KADUNA BOMB: Traders, Police Disagree on Cause Of Explosion

Controversy has continued to trail the cause of the explosion that rocked Ori Apata, Kaduna, Northwest Nigeria, on Wednesday as the police maintained that the explosion was caused by a compressed gas cylinder in one of the shops in the area.

But the shop owners, who are mostly spare parts dealers, disagreed with the police, saying the explosion was caused by two men on motorcycle who threw an explosive device into a shop.Fourteen people were confirmed dead in the explosion while several others were injured.

The Kaduna State Commissioner of Police, Ballah Nasarawa, had during his visit to the scene of the blast declared that the explosion was “probably caused by gas explosion.”

To protest police claim, the traders yesterday locked up their shops and refused to attend to customers.

The traders who are mostly Igbo expressed anger with the police over the claim that the explosion was caused by gas explosion and not bomb as witnesses claimed.

Chairman of the Ogbomoso Road Spare Parts Traders at Ori Apata, Sunday Mba told P.M.NEWS that he cannot understand why the police are trying to cover up by claiming that it was a gas explosion when it was obvious it was a bomb blast.

According to Mba, the Red Cross officials who saw the two men threw a bag into one of the spare parts shops on the fateful day have confirmed that it was indeed a bomb blast.

Mba further stated that the police claim is an attempt not only to cover up their inability to secure the state but also an attempt to deny them possible compensation from the government and other donor agencies.

“The police are unfair to us. And that is why we have locked up our shops today in protest over this injustice. We are protesting police conclusion that it was a gas explosion instead of bomb blast,” Mba stated.

He said the decision to embark on the protest was taken yesterday after a meeting by the traders. “We decided to lock our shops until the police and other relevant security agencies move in their forensic experts to determine whether it was a bomb or gas explosion,” he added.

The state police boss, however, insisted that the initial investigation by the police anti-bomb squad unit had shown that the blast was probably due to a gas explosion.

The police report created tension in Kaduna, as Igbo are angry that the bomb attack was targeted at them.

P.M.NEWS learnt that the tension mounted as a result of fear that the Boko Haram sect members were responsible for the attack aimed at ejecting Igbo traders from Kaduna.

— Femi Adi/Kaduna