‘I will never forget that sound'

Muhammed Kura wasn't
feeling particularly
celebratory on the morning
of October 1. For the 20-year-
old hawker, it was just an
opportunity to sell more kola
nuts and sweets than normal.
He was ambling towards
Eagle Square in Abuja that
morning, when a hot gust of
wind lifted him off the
ground. The loud bang that
preceded it is a sound that
Mr Kura said he will never
forget in his life.

"I will never forget that
sound," he said. "It was the
only thing I remember
because I did not see any car
or any bomb. When I opened
my eyes again, they were
carrying me somewhere in a
taxi."
The ‘somewhere' turned out
to be the Wuse General
hospital but not before the
taxi he was ferried in was
turned away from the State
House clinic. There was
simply no more space for any
more casualties from the
blast.

Fifteen other people were
transported with Mr Kura to
the Wuse General. The young
hawker suffered scalding
wounds to his back, legs and
arms and some shrapnel had
to be removed from his
buttocks. Others were not so
lucky.
A nurse at the hospital
confirmed that three out of
the fifteen people who were
brought in were dead on
arrival and others were in
critical condition.
"There was nothing more we
could do for the people," she
said. "Some have been put on
drip and losing plenty blood."

Two of the patients
connected to an intravenous
drip were policemen; both
still remained in tattered
uniform. One's leg was
heavily bandaged and still
seeping blood while the
other, whose name tag read
Kabiru Jafar, was still
unconscious.
The strained wards of the
hospital cut a frenzied scene
as doctors, nurses and
concerned family members
flitted all over the place.

Several other families would
come in, check amongst the
injured only to be re-
directed to other hospitals.
Chiawata Nwobi, also injured
in the blast, recounted how
he was walking back to his
car from Eagle Square after
forgetting his camera.
He was able to avoid the
first explosion but was hit by
flying metal in the second.

"Fortunately, I was not too
near the car," he said. "That
first one was not too
powerful, I even thought it
was thunder. People even
rushed to see what was going
on. But the second one
actually threw me back and I
could feel things entering my
back and my hands." Just
grateful The scenes were not
much better at the Maitama
General Hospital. Hospital
staff were in an even more
harried state but a doctor
briefly confirmed that at
least twenty people were
brought in.

"We have not had time to
count," he said. "We are just
trying to save lives before
we can assess." A pure water
seller, Aliyu, said some of his
colleagues died in the blast
but he was fortunate to be
alive. He escaped with a few
scratches but was at the
hospital to check on their
condition.
"I am grateful to God," he
said. "Everything just
scattered for there. Cars
were burning; glass flying."

A federal road safety
marshall confirmed that
amongst the victims were
Civil Defence Corps officers,
policemen, an official of the
State Security Service (SSS)
and pure (sachet) water
hawkers.
At least 30 vehicles were
also damaged during the
explosion.

As the city tries to take stock
of the full extent of damage,
hospitals have made urgent
appeals to Abuja residents to
donate blood.
"We still need plenty of
blood," one of the doctors
said. "What we have is not
enough."