Suspected suicide bombers attack Kaduna Army, Airforce bases

Suspected suicide bombers have attacked two military formations in Kaduna, Northwest Nigeria.

The attacks occurred at the First Mechanized Division of the Nigerian Army on  Zaria road and the Air Force Base in Kawo, both on the outskirts of Kaduna.

Both attacks occurred almost within five minutes interval. While one of the suspected bomber gained entrance into the First Mechanized Division of the Nigerian Army the other detonated his explosive under the Kawo overhead bridge in front of the gates of the Air Force base.

There are also reports of a third explosion but could not be immediately confirmed.

Spokesman of the police in Kaduna, Aminu Lawan, confirmed two blasts but could not give casualties rate.

“We have dispatched our men to the scenes to assess the situation,” he said.

He was also unable to confirm if the attacks were carried out by the deadly Boko Haram sect which has been attacking government security installations in northern Nigeria.

NEMA said its rescue team have been alerted to the explosion at the military formations. They could not also confirm the nature of explosion or casualty.

The Red Cross which also mobilised swiftly for rescue operations say the true nature of the blast is still unclear.

Eye witnesses however say three people were killed by the blast at the Airforce base Kawo. “One of them is the suicide bomber,” they said.

An eyewitness at the Zaria road scene said the explosion shattered several glasses on buildings around the First Mechanized Division area.

"Virtually all the glass has been shattered,” the eyewitness said. “I saw soldiers with glass cuts on their bodies being taken out, but it's difficult to say if there were any (more serious) casualties."

Spokesman of the First Mechanized Division of Nigerian Army Lt. Col. Abubakar A. Edun said the casualty figure is being ascertained and would soon be made available through an official statement concerning the attack.

The affected areas have been cordoned off and the busy Kaduna/Zaria road highway – location of the First Mechanized Division - has been closed to traffic.

Witnesses say the blast at Kawo was loud enough to be heard in Malali, 10 kilometres away from the scene.

The streets are filled with police and military officers as well as anti-bomb squad combing for undetonated bombs.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks. But security agents says they have the imprimatur of the Boko Haram sect attacks.

The sect, whose attacks have killed over 1000 Nigerians since July 2010, is infamous for beating heavy security blockades to attack government security formations

via premiumtimesng