Nigeria: Chadians Among Kano Attackers, Police Say

Abuja/Kano — Police
yesterday said people
speaking a Chadian
language were among the
attackers who waged
bombing and shooting
sprees in Kano last
Friday, killing a total of
185 people according to
the first official tally.
"The extremists are said
to be speaking accented
Hausa language, Kanuri
and Chad languages," the
state police command said
in its first account of the
carnage.
Friday's strike was the
deadliest yet claimed by
the Boko Haram sect,
which said it launched the
Kano attacks because the
security agencies were
holding its followers.
A statement by Police
Commissioner Ibrahim K.
Idris late yesterday said
150 of the dead were
civilians, 29 were police
officers, three were
secret police officers, two
were immigration officers
and one was a customs
officer.
Idris also announced that
the police found 10
unexploded car bombs in
the city, three days after
the wave of attacks
targeting security
agencies.
The statement said:
"Among the areas
affected are police zonal
headquarters along BUK
Road, whereby a suicide
bomber drove a car
forcefully through the
gates and detonated a
bomb which destroyed
part of the building. Same
group of terrorists
launched an attack at
Farm Centre and Zaria
Road Division, Immigration
Passport office located at
Farm Centre, SSS
Headquarters at Giginyu
Quarters, official
residence of AIG Zone
One and St. Louis
Secondary School
simultaneously.
"At the command
headquarters Bompai,
two cars heavily loaded
with explosives devices,
primed for suicide mission
were resisted by the
police. The first suicide
bomber drove through
the JFK end of Bompai
Barracks and when
resisted by the officers
on duty detonated on the
road and could not have
an access to the
barracks.
"While the second vehicle
Toyota Camry was
sporadically fired by the
police, ran into the wall
and could not have an
access into the State
Headquarters. The driver
while attempting to
escape was gunned down
and the explosives were
demobilized by the men of
Explosive Ordinance
Device.
"The extremists also
attacked and brutally
killed innocent civilian
citizens who were going
about their lawful
business along Tudun
Wada Road, Club Road,
Old Cemetery Road, Abuja
Yandusa, SDY
Roundabout, Farm Centre
GSM market, Sule Gaya
Road, Dantata Road and
St. Louis Avenue.
"The available statistics
to the police indicated
that 29 policemen, 3 SSS
officers, 2 Immigration
officers, 1 Customs
officer and a total of 150
civilians so far killed by
the extremists. In the
same vein, a good friend
and pressman Mr.
Enenche Okogwu of
Channels TV was also
among those killed during
the massacre. The
extremists are said to be
speaking accented Hausa
language, Kanuri and
Chad languages."
Idris listed the items
recovered by the police
as follows: "Ten different
makes of motor vehicles
comprising of Honda CRV,
Toyota Camry of different
models, Honda Brahma,
Golf, Toyota First Lady
etc were recovered
loaded with improvised
explosive devices at
places like Sheka
Quarters, NNPC Mega
filling station Hotoro,
Tishama, Goron Dutse,
Farawa, Miller Road and
Police Headquarters Road
Bompai all in Kano
metropolis.
"300 Coca-cola sized
cans of improvised
explosive devices
recovered at various
locations in the city. 8
Peak milk tins of
350grams loaded with
improvised explosive
devices (and) 8 drums
size of 350 kilo grams
with improvised
explosive devices loaded
in cars in various
locations in the city."
Hours before the police
made the official
announcement, a source
told Daily Trust that a
retired police officer was
caught yesterday
afternoon with a bomb-
laden vehicle at Goron
Dutse area in Kano city.
The suspect was being
held in police custody. He
was arrested wearing a
bullet proof vest, with a
Toyota Camry car and
carrying ammunitions and
other explosives, the
source said.
AFP news agency also
quoted a senior police
officer as saying on
condition of anonymity:
"So far we have
discovered over 100
home-made bombs in the
operation we have
launched in bomb
recovery in different
parts of the city."
Yesterday, Senate
president David Mark
said he and the speaker
of the House of
Representatives Aminu
Tambuwal had ignored
security risks to travel
to Kano.
"We want to ensure that
a few misguided
Nigerians who have been
led into this action don't
take this country
hostage... it is not about
religion, this affects the
entire nation," Mark said
in Kano.
In a BBC Hausa interview
monitored yesterday,
Tambuwal urged the
Federal Government to
forgive and dialogue with
the Boko Haram sect as
part of efforts to end its
uprising.
Tambuwal said there was
the need to "forgive
them, bring them to the
table and discuss with
them to see how to end
these problems."
Asked if he meant use of
force should be replaced
with dialogue, the
Speaker said government
could take all measures,
starting with dialogue and
if it fails then resorting to
use of force.
Meanwhile about 200
Muslim clerics and political
leaders offered peace
prayers in Kano.
"I will pray to God that we
should never re-live the
catastrophe that resulted
in the deaths and maiming
in our city," Governor
Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso
said.
Emir of Kano Ado Bayero
told the clerics: "I enjoin
you to continue praying
for peace and stability in
our city. I call upon you to
use any religious fora to
pray for peace in our
land."
A purported spokesman
for Boko Haram using the
nom de guerre Abul-Qaqa
claimed responsibility for
the attacks on Friday,
saying they were in
response to a refusal by
the authorities to release
its members from
custody. Some detainees
being held at a police
station in Kano were
thought to have been
freed during Friday's
attacks.