Female Bomber Attacked Federal College Kontagora Many Dead

Barely two days after a suicide bomb attack killed about 50 secondary school students in Potiskum, Yobe State, another suicide bomber, a female, yesterday, attacked another school, the Federal College of Education, Kontagora, Niger State some 150 kilometres (90 miles) from the state capital, Minna.
There were conflicting reports on casualty figures of yesterday’s attack in Kontagora. An account said no fewer than 10 persons died in the attack, others said only the female suicide bomber died while two others were injured and were receiving treatment at Kontagora General hospital. 

The incident caused panic among residents of the town as they started running helplessly and confused. Ahead of the decision of the college, many resident students vacated their hostels and took refuge in the town.

It was gathered that the female bomber was heading for the hall where many of the students were sitting for their examination but got the timing wrong as the explosive she was carrying exploded in front of the school library, few metres to the targeted hall. She was immediately blown into two parts. There two others whose identity were yet to be ascertained sustained injuries and were rushed to the general hospital in Kontagora for treatment. 

Niger State police spokesman, Ibrahim Gambari confirmed the blast by telephone from Minna. He said commanders were awaiting further details from officers on the ground.“We have dispatched our teams from here,” he said.  

One of the students, Mary Okafor said the blast occurred as they were sitting for the end of semester examinations and saw everyone rushing out of class. She said: “We saw bodies on the ground between the library and the female hostel. Among the bodies were two dismembered women who we believed were the bombers.  

At least 10 students were killed and several others injured. They have all been moved to the general hospital. We have all been asked to vacate the school. The authorities in the town have asked all schools to close. ”Provost of the college, Dr. Nathaniel Adediran in a telephone interview thanked God for saving the lives of students and other workers of the college. 

“We thank God for answering our prayers because God did not allow the enemy to succeed,” he remarked.  He said the management of the college would meet to decide whether to close down the school temporarily or continue with normal academic programmes.

Speaking on the incident, Governor Babangida Aliyu condemned the mission of the bomber and called on citizens of Niger State to rise up to the challenge and be more security-conscious. The governor at a lecture to commemorate his 59th birthday said he has directed the security agencies in the state to increase the security apparatus in all the schools in collaboration with authorities of primary, secondary and tertiary institutions in the state to guard against a similar occurrence.

The governor thanked God for the safety of lives of students and lecturers and other workers, adding that had the bomber succeeded in her mission, it would have been another national calamity.