From Ado Abubakar Musa, Jos
About thirty one people mostly roadside traders were yesterday killed and several wounded in large twin bomb blasts, around the popular terminus market area, in Jos, the capital of Plateau state.
Several casualties were said to have been rushed to various hospitals for medical treatment. Captain Ikedichi Iweha, who is the Plateau State Special Task Force (STF) spokesperson, confirmed the incident, but could not ascertain the casualty figure as at the time of filing this report.
However, our reporter, who shortly after the blast visited the scene of the incident, reports that he counted about thirty one bodies on the ground of the scene.
It was also gathered that several corpses were evacuated to various mortuaries within the city, before the arrival of our correspondent at the scene of the blast.
Our correspondent, who observed the area of the blast soon after the incident, also reported that the two explosives were wrapped like objects and dropped by unknown person.
The first bomb, which was kept beside Mr. Biggs restaurant, was said to have blasted at about 6 : 15pm while the second one, which was dropped around the vicinity of meat sellers at the terminus market, was said to have exploded at exactly 6: 30pm.
An eye witness of the incident, who is a roadside trader, said, ” At about 6: 15 p.m., when I was about to close for today, I suddenly heard a large sound not far from where I was standing. Myself and other people around the area started running helter-skelter looking for cover. People were unable to close their business centers. Most of the victims were women, because most of the ones I saw were women.
“God was so kind to us, because the incident occurred shortly after the members of the Jos Management Development Board ( JMDB) spread smelling water two times on roadside traders to vacate the terminus market area and many left the area. The casualty figure would have been more than the one you are seeing now. It was very terrible “, he added.
Recall that in the month of May this year, same twin blasts were exploded all around terminus market where scores of people were killed.
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