Buhari Escaped Assassination! See How Boko Haram Tried To Kill Former President In Kaduna Using Deadly Bombs
On a tragic Wednesday, over 40 individuals lost their lives in a devastating twin bomb explosion in Kaduna State, located in north- western Nigeria. The first explosion took place along Isa Kaita Road, near the well- known Murtala Mohammed Square, and was directed at a prominent Islamic cleric, Dahiru Bauchi. This initial blast claimed the lives of 25 people and left many others injured, according to police reports.
The explosion occurred close to the square where Bauchi was delivering a Ramadan lecture, leaving a scene of chaos and carnage with dismembered bodies scattered on the blood- stained ground. This attack was the second attempt on Bauchi’ s life in Kaduna State within two to three weeks; the previous attempt near his residence resulted in one injury. Bauchi, a vocal critic of the extremist Boko Haram sect, might have been targeted by the group, although their involvement in this attack remained unconfirmed.
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As the state and country grappled with the horror of the first explosion, a second one followed barely two hours later, this time targeting former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari. The blast occurred while Buhari was driving through the busy Kawo Market area of Kaduna city. In a brief statement, Buhari confirmed he was the target of the attack. He described the incident as a clear assassination attempt by a fast- moving vehicle that tried multiple times to overtake his security car, eventually taking advantage of the convoy’ s slowdown near the market to detonate the bomb.
Buhari recounted how, upon exiting his vehicle, he witnessed numerous dead bodies of innocent bystanders who had fallen victim to the attack. The second explosion resulted in at least 15 fatalities. The spokesperson for the Department of State Security, Marylyn Ogar, noted that the first attack occurred approximately two kilometers from the Ramadan prayer session venue because insurgents were unable to get their vehicle closer due to a significant security presence.
Lai Mohammed, the spokesperson for the All Progressive Congress (APC), confirmed that the explosion was aimed at Buhari, who narrowly escaped the attack with some of his aides injured. Rotimi Fashakin, a loyalist of Buhari, speculated that political elements within Boko Haram were responsible for the attempt on Buhari’ s life as he was en route to his hometown, Daura in Katsina state. Jasper Azuatalam, leader of the pro- Buhari group The Buhari Vanguard, suggested that the attack might have been motivated by Buhari’ s recent criticism of President Goodluck Jonathan, which had elicited a response from the Presidency.
Following the twin explosions, Kaduna State Governor Ramalan Yero imposed a 24- hour curfew in Kaduna metropolis to allow security agencies to restore order. Yero condemned the attacks, labeling them acts of cowardice aimed at creating tension within the state. He described the explosions, which occurred during the Holy Month of Ramadan, as evidence that the perpetrators lacked both fear of God and respect for human life. The governor emphasized the need for increased security measures and called for unity among the state’ s residents to confront these attacks. He urged vigilance and cooperation with security agencies to prevent further incidents, stressing the importance of collective condemnation of such aggression.
