Seven buildings were destroyed yesterday in Kaduna in an explosion on Ibrahim Rintiyi Street, Unguwan Magaji, in the outskirts of the city.
The explosion, which occurred at 1.30pm near the National Eye Centre, caused pandemonium among the residents.

Police sources told The Nation that though there was no casualty, three persons, believed to be occupants of the building where the explosion occurred, were apprehended by locals and handed over to the police.

When reporters visited the scene at 3pm, security operatives were seen combing the place, marked House AR 33, while the Police Bomb Disposal Unit was searching the rubble for clues.

Highly placed security sources said the house might have been used as a depot for storing illegal arms as three military rifles were reportedly recovered from the rubble. The police said more arms could be buried under the rubble.

The police Bomb Disposal Unit was said to have recovered a sack of what is believed to be bomb-making devices, complete with a car battery and a generating set.

A resident, Mallam Muba Namando (60), told The Nation that he just finished his afternoon prayers when he heard a loud explosion, which shook the ground.

“As we were looking for ways to get to the police, more explosions took place. But no one was hurt because we were outside. By then, the police arrived and took away the suspects. I have been here for about a year. This is the first time I am seeing this kind of thing.”

Aminu Yusuf, 42, said to be the owner of the building, was brought to the scene by the police. He told reporters that he rented the building out through an agent in July, this year.

Police spokesman, Aminu Lawan, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), confirmed the blast.
He said three suspects were arrested in connection with the blast, adding that they were believed to have been assembling Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).

He said the suspects have been taken to the hospital for treatment, adding that the police were waiting for them to recover before interrogating them.

An explosion occurred yesterday afternoon at Gidan Gwaba in Pompomari area of Damaturu, the Yobe State capital. It injured three suspected Boko Haram sect members, the police have said.

Police Commissioner Lawal Tamko said: “Today’s (yesterday’s) bomb blast went off while three suspected Boko Haram bombers were assembling their Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) to attack and bomb unspecified police and military formations in the state.

“The injured suspected bomber was arrested, after we received a distress call from a member of the public, as soon as the explosion blasted. Our officers and men were despatched to cordon off the area for a house-to-house search and prevent further attacks by the sect.”
The police chief said one of the suspects was injured and taken to the hospital for treatment.

According to him, two others that sustained burns were at large. Tamko said the police were trailing the suspects, adding that they would be arrested and prosecuted.

According to him, the police recovered three units of AK47 rifles, ammunition, weapons and bomb-making materials from the house.
A source at the Sani Abacha Specialist Hospital in Damaturu told The Nation that the suspect was admitted at the hospital but later died. The source added that the suspect’s body has been deposited at the morgue.