3 worshippers killed in Bauchi bomb attack •As terrorist attacks church •Bauchi blast, ignoble, wicked - Tambuwal

Victims of St. John’s Catholic Church bombing in Bauchi, on Sunday. Photo:

A suicide bomber, on Sunday, detonated a car loaded with explosives at St. John’s Catholic Church in Bauchi, killing himself and injuring about 50 people.

A dependable source who spoke to our reporter at the centre said “about 50 others sustained varying degrees of injuries from critical to minor ones.”

“You can count by yourself, though journalists are not allowed in here, but since you were allowed in, you can see things for yourself. But don’t take photographs,” he warned.

The Commissioner for Health in the state, Dr Abubakar Sani Malami, who spoke to newsmen at the Trauma Centre, assured that “even those that are critical are being stabilised and we are coping with the situation.”

“We have also put Kano and Jos Teaching Hospitals on alert. In case we are not able to cope, we will quickly move such  cases to these places for urgent medical attention,” he stated.

 Investigations revealed that the suicide attacker arrived at the church gate at about 9.00 a.m., when parishioners were leaving the church after the first mass, while some were going in for the second mass, but could not gain entry into the church due to the nailed strong bars at the gate.

A source at the church, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said the attacker came in a coffee colour Vectra salon car, “asked the security men at the gate to open it for him but they refused, so he reversed a bit, then drove towards the gate and rammed into it and his car exploded.”

Deputy Police Public Relations Officer, Hassan Mohammed Auyo, while confirming the incident, however, said three people were killed while 46 people were injured.

He said, “when a suicide bomber targeted the church, he was prevented. Instead, he detonated his explosives in the parking lot killing one person and himself.”

All the roads leading to the scene of the blast were immediately cordoned off by security agents who were heavily armed.

Meanwhile, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Aminu Tambuwal, on Sunday condemned, the suicide attack on St. John's Catholic Cathedral in Bauchi, saying the attack was ignoble, wicked and horrendous.

In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Malam Imam Imam, Tambuwal urged the security agencies to ensure that the perpetrators of the violent act were brought to justice.

He said: "The gains recorded by the security agencies in their battle against terror in the country in recent weeks should be built upon in order to protect the citizens at all times."

While condoling with the victims of the blast, Tambuwal urged Nigerians to be more prayerful and to provide useful information that would lead to the arrest of the perpetrators and their sponsors, if any.”