RESCUE MEN AT THE JOS BLAST

Bloody Xmas Day

MADALLA, a town near Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) made a bloody Christmas Day history yesterday.
More than 25 people were killed, 13 cars burnt and nine apartments shattered by explosions at the frontage of St. Theresa’s Catholic Church in the town.
Church members said the toll could be up to 30 but the National Emergency Management Agency put the casualty figure at 25.
Three families were burnt to death in their vehicles, after boarding to depart the church premises.
They were families of three, four and five.
Four motorcyclists (a.k.a. Okada riders) were killed, their bikes becoming heaps of crushed metals.
The Christmas Day havoc was wreaked by a suspected Boko Haram suicide bomber, who was also feared dead.
But four suspected accomplices have been arrested.
The bomb threw a worshipper onto the roof of the next building to the church. He was dead.
Members of the church arrested two of the suspects. The other two were intercepted at Monkey Village within the precinct of Madalla.
The suspects were whisked away to Abuja by security agencies for interrogation.
The blast occurred at about7.10am when members of St. Theresa’s Catholic Church were filing out after the early morning mass which started at about 6a.m.
Although the Catholic Church management took pre-emptive steps, with a three-man police team on guard, and two checkpoints, the suicide bomber pulled it off.
The three policemen, who were also victims of the blast, were identified by their shoes and the arms cache of their AK 47 rifles.
A member of the congregation, Mr. Joseph Chukwuemeka, said: “After the mass, the Reverend Father asked the congregation to file out for powder. As we were doing it, members were rushing out to return home to take care of their loved ones.
The roof of a nearby residential area with nine apartments was brought down. In fact, a man who was on his bed in one of the apartments, was thrown onto the floor of his room.
The Head of Operations of NEMA, Labaran Ahman, who spoke with reporters at the scene, said: “The incident happened adjacent to the church. So many people were affected.
“By our account, 25 people died, although we had many mutilated bodies. But out of the 25, we had 19 bodies intact and about six mutilated. But the casualty figure may increase.”
An official statement by the Head of Media and Public Relations of NEMA, Alhaji Yushau Shuaib, said: “There is an explosion at Madalla highway today which affected many vehicles and some human casualty.
The impact was felt at nearby structures, including a church. So far, NEMA has mobilised other stakeholders to the scene to evacuate the bodies and the injured.
The incident did not happen inside the church but outside on a road close by.
“While some of the victims were treated at the scene others were taken to hospitals.
The priest, Rev. Father, Isaac Achi, gave a long narration of the incident.
He said: “I am the Parish Priest of St Theresa’s Catholic, Church where this ugly incident took place. I left here as early as 6am to go for mass, the Eucharistic Celebration in one of our outstations.
Meanwhile, as I was going, I left my Assistant, in the person of Father Christopher Barde Jatau, to officiate in the Eucharistic celebration.