Abuja Bombing Survivors Share Experience, Over 500 Casualties

Would the Government ever release the true figures of casualties from Abuja bombing?

Lots of people lost their lives, hundreds sustained injuries in the massive explosion that occurred on Monday at Nyanya Bus Terminus in Abuja.

Officials say 72 persons were killed in the accident, 133 sustained injuries, some people have expressed their doubts that true figures would never be released.

Several survivors talked to journalists, narrating their stories of miraculous escape and sharing their memories of the horrible incident.


A survivor, who wished to stay anonymous, said only providence helped him to survive the accident without even a scratch and thanked God for saving his life. According to him, he drove to Nyanya bus station to pick his friends. He had to enter the park, as the Task Force officers would not allow people to pick passengers under the bridge. One person sat with him in the front, while the other three sat in the back. When the last person shut the car's door, the narrator tried to move the car, and at the same moment, "everything went blank". The force of the explosion threw him far away, while all the four passengers died.

Michael Chucks said he has just left the park when he heard a loud noise resembling a burst tyre. He parked his vehicle and saw dozens of dead bodies on the ground. The blast affected at least four "El-Rufai buses" (a mass transit bus) loaded with passengers, Mr. Chucks says, adding there were over 500 people there. He is sceptical of the fact that the Government will reveal the true number of victims.
James Igwe said he noticed quick "disappearance" of the driver from the vehicle parked in front of the buses that were fully loaded with passengers. He said those who remained conscious after the blast cried for help, but everyone in the area were lying on the ground.

Chinenye Emeka, a food vendor, is also grateful to God for sparing her life. She was about to enter her shop when the explosion occurred. Just before that, she noticed a red space wagon going inside the park. She fell on the ground as soon as she heard the loud sound. When she tried to stand up, she saw thick black smoke everywhere and bodies of many people scattered around. She regretted deaths of many other food vendors.

Jeremiah Ofem, a civil servant, sustained bruises but was lucky to survive. He alleged that the vehicle with the explosives had been most likely driven to the spot and abandoned, with the perpetrators controlling the blast with a remote control.

Michael Epuele is also receiving medical treatment at the Nyanya General Hospital. He is surprised that he was affected by the explosion, as he was at the nearby motor park, far away from the blast.
Timothy Eze Okorie, a commercial bus driver, said his urge to buy alcohol before starting the day's work saved his life. Instead of  entering the park to pick passengers, he "took the next turn, went round the bridge and headed towards Jukwoyi to buy a bottle of Alomo". Just minutes after that, the bus park was shaken by a massive explosion. Though Mr. Okorie is aware that driving under the influence is a criminal offense that could land him in prison or earn him a fine, he is grateful he took the decision to buy Alomo, an alcoholic bitters popular with artisans and commercial vehicle drivers across Nigeria.

Francis Alozie is worried by disappearance of his cousin Miriam Edozie Chinyere. She is an Airport worker and, as usually, was waiting for the staff bus to pick her up at Nyanya Bridge. When Mr. Alozie learnt about the bomb blast, he tried to call his sister, but her phones were switched off. He still has not found her name in the lists of patients at various hospitals. He doesn't know what to tell their parents when they start calling.

Adeoye Busayo, a 40-year-old security consultant at a private security firm in Abuja, said he left his house around 6.00 am with a number of other passengers. In the early hours of Monday, there was little traffic when they got to Nyanya around 6:30 a.m. His vehicle was about 30 to 40 meters to Nyanya park when he heard a terrible blast. In huge clouds of dust and smoke, he saw people running for shelter. After the second blast, he managed to escape through his car's window because the door was jammed. He overheard passengers in his car screaming for help, saw them bleeding. A lady was caught on fire from his car as she was trying to escape.

Mr. Busayo says people were deceived by the light coming from the fire raging at the spot of the explosion. In the darkness, they kept running towards the fire.