HARVEST OF DEATH, 32 BODIES RECOVERED, 72 INJURED IN JOS

By NBF News

Scene of the explosion along Goodluck Jonathan Way (Gadabiu) in Jos on Saturday

A day after the deadly explosions in parts of Jos, the Plateau State capital was like a killing field on Christmas Day with dead bodies picked up from various areas. The official death toll has been put at 32 while 72 others are said to be receiving treatment at various hospitals in the state capital, including the Jos University Teaching Hospital, ECWA and the Our Lady of Apostle hospitals.

But the state governor, Jonah Jang, has called on the federal government to take decisive measures to address the protracted crisis in the state.

Jang specifically accused some unnamed highly placed individuals as being the explosions, saying, 'they send their boys to do the dirty work.'

He however said if investigation revealed that he is behind the explosion, he should be stripped of his immunity and prosecuted.

The state Commissioner of Police, Mr Abdulrahman Akano, confirmed to journalists on Saturday that there were altogether seven explosions with five at Gada Biu and two at Angwa Rukuba. He said among items recovered by the Bomb Disposal Unit at the explosion sites were dynamites with about 100 boxes of matches tied to them.

Sunday Sun gathered that early Saturday morning, some angry youths unleashed terror on passersby around the new fly over at Gada Biu and Angwa Rukubu, killing some of them. Dead bodies are seen lying along the Gada Biu area and carcass of burnt vehicles were also seen on the road.

Jang, who visited the affected areas, was visibly shaken. He said shortly after going round the wards and mortuary at the ECWA Hospital in Jos that residents of the affected areas affected were agitated and have been calmed down not to take laws into their hands.

He charged the security agents to fish out the perpetrators.

'This time around, government should take drastic action. Even if I am the one that is found guilty, I should be stripped of my immunity and prosecuted.

'I want to call on the federal government – it controls all the security bodies. I do not control anybody – to bring the whole weight of security here on the Plateau and unearth all these people. There are some very senior citizens who are behind these dastardly acts. Anytime such a thing happens, they move the people to Abuja and we never hear anything again. Even the few that are brought here are being charged for terrorism and we have told the world that there is no terrorism in Nigeria,' Jang said.

In a state broadcast on Christmas Day, Jang condemned the incident.

'This sad and ugly development is most condemnable as its masterminds and merchants of violence who trade in human pain, anguish and shedding of blood have remained undeterred in their quest for reducing our dear state into one of anarchy,' he said.

According to him, the aim of the perpetrators was to 'pitch Christians against Muslims and spark off another round of violence that will eventually scuttle ongoing electioneering activities.'

He commiserated with all those who lost loved ones.

Meanwhile, public health workers in state and federal establishments have asked their officials on suspension to resume work immediately to assist survivors of the blasts. They also called on blood donors to come to the aid of those who sustained serious injuries as a result of the blast.