Explosions kill at least 10, wound over 25 at military barracks in Bauchi, Bauchi State

Map of Nigeria highlighting Bauchi State

On 29 May, two explosions in rapid succession, within the recreational area of a military barracks, killed at least 10 people and wounded over 25 others in Bauchi, capital of Bauchi State.

The explosions occurred several hours after Dr Goodluck Jonathan had been inaugurated President for the next four years in Abuja (420km away), in ceremonies that were significantly devoid of any security breach.

The blasts went off at a Mammy Market, a popular small market on the fringe of the Shadawaka Barracks, where civilians often join soldiers for evening drinks, a common feature of military barracks all over the country.

The time was a little past 8.00pm. Many were still celebrating Jonathan’s successful inauguration, and in no hurry to leave as the government had declared the next day (Monday 30 May) a public holday in observance of the annual Democracy Day. Security sources said the blasts, which sounded within seconds of each other, appeared to have been carried out with improvised explosive devices.

A definite count of the casualties is not yet available. Major M. O. Etete, Public Relations Officer of the Bauchi-based 23 Artillery Brigade, told newsmen that details of the explosions and the casualty figure were still sketchy. The Commissioner of Police in Bauchi State, Mr Abdulkadir Indabawa, had told AFP in an early reaction, that: “So far, we have recovered four dead bodies and a number of the injured, close to 20”.

However, other sources later reported that the blasts killed over 10 people instantly, as the attackers struck at a peak relaxation hour when the market was crowded. A medical source said one hospital had taken in 10 corpses. Military sources in the barracks said all the casualties were civilians, including some women who owned stalls in the market.

Police authorities publicly said they could not yet say who was responsible for the explosions and that no arrests had yet been made. But privately, many suspect the Islamist militant group, Boko Haram.

The group, based in the far north-eastern Borno State, is widely believed to have been responsible for the serial assassinations of security personnel as well as bomb attacks on police and other government buildings around the state capital, Maiduguri. The group claimed responsibility for the bombings in Jos, capital of neighbouring Plateau State, on 24 December 2010.

No one claimed responsibility for the bombing incident in Abuja on 31 December 2010, which similarly struck a relaxation spot at the fringe of Mogadishu Barracks. But Boko Haram stated very recently, and perhaps more boldly than ever before, that it does not believe in Nigeria’s democratic constitution and would continue to fight towards installing an Islamic government, based on Sharia law all over Nigeria.

Bauchi was one of the hotspots of the riots that erupted in 12 states of the north, following Jonathan’s victory at the 16 April presidential elections. Ten young graduates serving under the mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme in the state, were among scores killed by the rioters.

Also on 29 May,  another explosion was reported at a beer parlour in Zuba, a small town on the outskirts of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. It is not yet known whether the explosion was caused by a device planted or hurled into the beer parlour or whether it was a domestic accident, possibly from gas cylinders used for domestic cooking and other heating purposes.

Yushau Shuaib, public relations officer of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), reported that “There were only three minor injuries…no serious casualty” and that the three persons injured went to hospital by themselves.