BOMBS AND BLOODY DEMOCRACY IN MAIDUGURI Life in Varsity Was Tough, But Here I am Hit by Blast, Laments Corps Member

In Maiduguri, like in other parts of the country, the prospective voters defied the scorching sun and queued for hours at polling units that dot the metropolis, waiting to be accredited by staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). “The desire for change which will usher in credible leaders who will have positive impact […]

In Maiduguri, like in other parts of the country, the prospective voters defied the scorching sun and queued for hours at polling units that dot the metropolis, waiting to be accredited by staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

“The desire for change which will usher in credible leaders who will have positive impact on our lives was responsible for the massive turnout,” Elizabeth Nuhu, a voter who was at Bulunkutu Tsallake, told Sunday Trust before the blasts.

Sadly, it was about time for the casting of votes when the first bomb which was dropped at a polling unit in Unguwar Doki suddenly exploded and thwarted the enthusiasm of the voters as many of them were hit by schraprels.

When our correspondent visited the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) almost a week after the incident, most of the victims were yet to recover from the shock of the blasts.

Most of them were still groaning in pains while those who have been permanently incapacitated have started thinking of how life will be, if they finally get out of the hospital bed.

The face of one of the victims, a youth corps member, was battered by schrapprels of the blast. “Life at the university was very difficult. When I graduated, I heard a sigh of relief, believing that there will be light at the end of the tunnel…unfortunately, here I am, completely depressed on an hospital bed,” he said.

As he narrated his ordeal to our reporters, tears gushed out from his injured eyes. “I participated in the exercise not just because of the pay, but as part of my efforts towards the establishment of a prosperous Nigeria,” he added.

Another victim, Mohammed Babagana, a provision seller at the Gidan Madara business district in Maiduguri, was found lying flat on his hospital bed because he could not sit.

His head, legs and hands were bandaged as a result of injuries he sustained. Babagana had also lost his power of speech. When our reporters sought to know how he was caught in the blast, his voice was inaudible and it was very difficult for him to narrate his experience.

A youth corps member, Oboshi Attah, from Benue state who served as an ad hoc staff during the election, but was also hit by the Unguwar Doki blast, said his greatest joy was that God had saved his life for a purpose.

“If not for the Grace of God, it would have been history by now,” he said. “The magnitude of the blast was terrific because many of us thought it was the end of the hour,” he said.

According to him, “it was after we finished accrediting voters and voting was about to start. In fact, I even brought out  the ballot papers trying to check how many people had been accredited for the election because it was from there you will know how many ballot papers would be required.

“In the process, I suddenly heard a loud, unexciting and frightening bang, a terrible blast followed by a dark smoke…that was all I can recall until much later when I found myself on hospital bed,” the youth corps member said.

He however, lamented that since he was taken to the hospital, no INEC official or any official from the state government has visited him.

“I really have to register my reservation because we deserve serious attention. We mortgaged ourselves to give Nigeria the best,” he lamented.

Sunday Trust later gathered that the Borno State coordinator of the NYSC, Alhaji Habibu Kurawa, with his officers had visited the victims at the hospital even though Attah was not in the right frame of mind in the time.

“It is the desire of Nigerian youths to bring change through free and fair elections. We hope the federal and state governments will appreciate our predicaments,” he said.

“The bomb blast will not deter me. I have made up my mind to be part of the change that we are about to witness and as soon as I recover, I will avail myself for other challenges,” he said

Attah said though many of his friends had expressed reservations in participating in the election process, his father had encouraged him not to relent.

“A day before the election, my father called and told me to be part of history of a free and fair election in the country which people are clamouring for and which the INEC chairman has promised,” he said

“Though I am on hospital bed, if my injury will heal within a week, I will go back to the INEC office and ask them to post me again because we need change in this country and that change has to start from somewhere. It’s a sacrifice,” he added.

He thanked God for sparing his life. “The disaster would have been more than this but luckily enough, we told the voters to move back after the close of accreditation for us to arrange properly before the commencement of the voting exercise. They moved some metres away from the polling unit before the explosion occurred afterwards,” he said.

Another victim, Malam Sabiu Sani, said that is the first time that he went out to vote. “In the past, I had apathy about voting because the votes hardly count. However it seems things are changing for the better now and that is what aroused my desire to participate in electing credible representatives.

“I trekked from my house, which is very far from the polling unit because I want leaders who can bring positive change to this state and return the state to its former glory,” Sabiu said.

He noted that despite their sense of patriotism, they have been left to wallow in anguish and distress. “I have been footing the medical bills myself. I am calling on the federal government to come to our aid,” he pleaded.

Perhaps, apart from the person who died as a result of the injuries he sustained, the worse hit by the calamity was a police woman, simply identified as Rachel Mulmayal, who was deployed to the Unguwar Doki polling unit to monitor and ensure the success of the election.

She lost vital parts of her body including one arm and one leg which were forcefully severed by the devastating blast. In fact, a day after the incident, she was said have died, but later, doctors said she had recovered from a long coma.

Rachael, a mother of four, had to undergo series of operations. The severed hand and leg were completely amputated and as at the time of filing this report, she was still lying critically ill at the female surgical ward of the teaching hospital.

The 32-year-old policewoman who is from Askira Uba Local Government Area of Borno State, was still groaning when our reporters visited her in the hospital.

Speaking with difficulties, Rachael recounted how the bomb blast cut short her police career. “We were arranging people on queues in preparation for the voting to commence. On the other hand, the corps members and some INEC staff were arranging the box and the ballot papers when we heard a thunderous sound.”

“Within a twinkle of an eye, the world literally came to an end because everybody disappeared except the few of us who were caught in the explosion,” she recalled.

“I wailed and cried for help, but there was no help. I bled profusely and suddenly slumped…the first thing I noticed when I came back to my senses were the multiple bandages on my body,” she said, as she burst into tears.

She lamented that the unfortunate incident had changed her life entirely. “I thank God I am alive but the event of the bloody Saturday has put an end to my carrier because a cripple cannot be in the police force.

“But the consoling part of it is that we become victims while contributing to the development of our fatherland and we hope our leaders will not leave us in pains,” she prayed.

Her husband, Mr John Samari, who is also a policeman, commended the state commissioner of police for assisting them, but also appealed to the federal government to come to their aid.

“I knew that my wife was on special duty at that polling unit and when I got the information that a bomb had exploded at that particular place, I cried profusely, thinking that she must have been killed. We thank God that she is still alive.

“We will now have to look for artificial limbs for her and the most pathetic thing is that she must have to leave her job,” he said pitifully.

A witness, Modu Malami, said more than two hundred people were around the polling centre waiting to cast their votes when the bomb went off.

“We thank God that most of us were metres away when the unfortunate thing happened. It would have been a disaster,” he said.

“The loudness of the bomb was devastating. Shortly after the incident, a cloud of thick dust and debris of substances enveloped the area,” Ali Isma’ila, another witness said.

While the victims of the first bomb blast which occurred around 11.55am were still battling for their lives at the hospital, the second bomb was detonated at the INEC collation centre in Abbaganaram Primary School around 7pm.

It was also a devastating and heart rendering experience.

One of the victims, Abbah Umar Garba, who was an ad hoc staff of INEC, recalled how it happened: “It was around 7pm when we came to submit the INEC ballot boxes and the results of the election. All was well when we entered the collation centre. Infact, I was about calling my brother to tell him how successful the exercise was when I heard a loud bang and that was the end of the story.

He said when he recuperated, he saw himself on the hospital bed. “Thank God that my parents and well wishers are around. It would have been a disaster for us because if there is no one to foot your medical bills, you will be left to die prematurely,” he said.

He said the INEC commissioner had visited him and gave him N10,000. “Immediately the money came in, we bought drugs with it. I hope government will create a policy that will guarantee the treatment of staff of INEC and the electorates as well,” he advised.

It was amidst these traumatic experiences that the Borno State government donated N5m to the victims in order to cushion their difficulties.

Secretary to the state government, Ambassador Baba Ahmed Jidda, who presented the money to the victims, prayed that the incident will not happen again. He also wished the victims quick recovery.

“We are deeply touched by what happened. The donation is not to compensate you but to cushion the hardship you are going through,” Jidda said.

Our correspondents report that the bomb blast occurred while residents were yet to recover from the killing of many people in Shani local government area and Maiduguri respectively on the eve of the election. The victims who were killed by some unknown gunmen, include the secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the area as well as four policemen, a member of the civil service and other civilians.

The chairman of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) in Jere Local Government of Borno State was also killed in his house in Maiduguri, a few hours to the commencement of the National Assembly elections.

When contacted on the plight of the election blast victims, the administrative secretary of INEC in the state, Malam Ishiaku Gali, debunked allegations that they have not been taking care of the victims in the hospital.

According to him, the INEC commissioner in the state, Professor Tukur Saad, and other INEC officials have been to the hospital to commiserate with the victims.

On whether there is a provision for compensationof the victims who are ad hoc staff, he said INEC has an insurance policy for victims of accidents who have direct connection with elections.

According to him, authorities at INEC are currently compiling names of the victims which will be sent to the headquarters in Abuja. He said the insurance will also address the issue of compensation.

Similarly, Borno state police commissioner, Michael Zuokumor, said there is a synergy between the police and other security outfits in the state aimed at guaranteeing the lives of the people.

Zuokumor who also visited the victims in the hospital, assured that police will take care of the bills of its officers and men involved in the bomb blast.

“We have deliberate policies on issues like this and we will not allow our officers and men who sustained injuries while protecting the lives of Nigerians to suffer.

On the other hand, various political parties in the state have been calling for a probe of the serial killings going on in the state.

Though the bomb blast has come and gone, the ghost of that fateful Saturday will continue to haunt the victims who are now in need of help and moral support to overcome their trauma.