By ARMSTRONG ALLAHMAGANI, Bauchi –
Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, on Monday visited Azare, the headquarters of Katagum Local Government Area of the state to commiserate with the Emir of Katagum, Alh (Dr) Umar Farouk II, and the people over an explosion that rocked the area.
The governor, who was in company with service chiefs in the state, said that the explosion, which happened last Friday, was not a terrorist’s attack.
Speaking at the Palace of the Emir, Governor Mohammed said he was in the area to commiserate with the Emirate over the explosion and robbery of a Point of Sale (POS) operator in Zaki Local Government Area of the state on Friday where four people were injured and hospitalized in the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Azare.
He said that his administration was conscious and passionate about security of lives and property of the people of the state.
He said: “The Bauchi State Government is ready to ensure safety of lives and property in the state and we will also double our efforts to make sure that those that are far away from the state capital are given special consideration.
“I would like to appreciate His Royal Highness, the Emir of Katagum for being passionate about the security of the people in the Emirate.
“We, as a government, promise to provide more support to the security agencies in the state so as to enable them to perform their duties effectively,” he said.
Also speaking, the Bauchi State Commissioner of Police, Aminu Alhassan, said that the explosion was that of dynamites in an old structure abandoned over 30 years ago which destroyed a mosque and a school.
He explained that the explosion happened on January 22 “was as a result of dynamites that were kept in an old structure for over 30 years by a construction company.”
Alhassan said the people in the area were trying to clear the old bushy structure by putting fire on the grasses when the explosion of the dynamites occurred.
According to him, though the explosion destroyed the structure completely, no casualty was recorded.
“We suspected may be the explosives device like dynamite was buried in the area for more than three decades, because the road construction company once lived in that place, and sometimes back when Boko Haram attacked Azare Police Station, they followed through the same route where the device exploded, we are still investigating,” he said.
The police boss said the command’s Anti-Bomb Disposal Unit had cordoned off the place to carry out further investigation, adding that two dynamites were discovered in the area.
He urged the people of the area as well as the state at large to remain calm as the situation was under control, adding that the structure had been cordoned.
Responding, the Emir commended the governor for his prompt response to the issue, adding that his actions had demonstrated that he was passionate about the well-being of all the people of the state.
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