By AbdulSalam Muhammad & Ndahi Marama
KANO—There was uneasy calm in Kano and Borno states, Wednesday, following two bomb explosions within a period of 12 hours in Kano, just as it was alleged that the Islamist sect, Boko Haram, planned to launch a massive and deadly attack on one of the Military Barracks in Maiduguri, Borno State capital.
Military Joint Task Force, JTF, spokesman, Lt.-Col. Sagir Musa, said there were clandestine moves by Boko Haram to attack military barracks in Maiduguri metropolis, particularly the headquarters of the 21 Armoured Brigade (Giwa Barracks).
He said the barracks was one of the places where hundreds of suspected sects members were detained, warning that such exercise would be disastrous and counter-productive as it would massively jeopardise the security of their members in military custody.
JTF used the opportunity to alert and urge the Giwa Barracks community, particularly owners of houses bordering the barracks, to be watchful and quickly alert it of any suspicious movement within their respective vicinity via 080-64174066, 070-85464012 and 081-54429346.
The first blast went off Tuesday night during a failed attempt to blow up a luxury bus along Zaria road by Kundila Housing Estate, while another Improvised Explosive Devise, IED, went off along Zoo Road by Al-Amir Junction, some 200 meters from the Hockey Centre Police Division.
The blast came on the heels of a similar attack in the city, Monday, where three paramilitary officials were injured, leading to the death of a Road Safety Corps member, identified as Nura Muhammad.
Security sources in the city said there was no casualty from the two incidents, adding that troops were deployed to the scenes to restore "confidence and normalcy."
The luxury bus lost its windscreen and few side glasses during the blast as JTF officials cordoned off the area and screened the vehicle and all those found around the zone.
The strategic Zaria road was blocked by security agent for 12 hours and reopened after the successful evacuation of the bus believed to be coming from the eastern part of the country into the city from the site.
Vanguard, however, learnt that the explosion at Zoo Road that was followed by sporadic gunshots, which triggered pandemonium among passers-by during the early morning rush hour as other residents remained indoors.
Isa Sale, a resident, of Zoo Road told Vanguard that he saw some troops backed by tanks heading to the scene of the incident.