Identities of Nyanya victims revealed

No official list of victims of Monday’s bomb blast in Nyanya on the outskirts of Abuja is available. But the identities of some of the victims were revealed yesterday.

Explosion in Abuja

One of them is Aggie Comelius Abba, 32, an employee of the Golden Gate Hotel in Abuja. He was at the park to board an early bus to his office when the explosion occurred.

Abba, a graduate of the University of Maiduguri, lives in Maranba. His brother, Mathias, spoke about him at the Asokoro Hospital yesterday.

A police constable, Friday John Effiong, also died in the blast. He was on his way to work when he was caught up in the blast.

Effiong’s body was found at the Asokoro Hospital by his relatives.

He was posted to the Wuse 3 Police Station. Monday was his first day at work on resumption from duty as he had just returned from a nine-month peace keeping mission in Sudan. But he never resumed.

Effiong was married and had a kid.

Also among the dead is a 38-year-old driver, Alhaji Abba, who had eight children.

Abba was a commercial driver plying Kano – Abuja route.

He arrived in Abuja at 10pm on Sunday, with the intention of taking passengers to Kano on Monday morning.

His brother Panda Sule Abba was making efforts yesterday to collect his body.

Identities of Nyanya victims revealed

Tambuwal visits Nyanya victims

House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Tambuwal visited yesterday the National Hospital in Abuja to sympathise with the victims of Monday morning bomb blast at Nyanya Motor Park in Abuja.

The Speaker was conducted round the emergency ward by the Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu.

Tambuwal, who condemned the attack, said the issue was not about any political party but an attack on Nigerians.

The Speaker urged the nation’s leaders to stop playing politics with insecurity.

He advised them to work together for the good of the country.

Tambuwal said: “As leaders in this country, we must all come together and support the government in addressing this challenge.

“We should stop playing politics with issue of insecurity. From what I have seen among the victims, I doubt if they are members of any political party.

“We should stop playing politics, we should address the issue and it is not about any religion.

“It is unfortunate. We must come together. We must rise to the challenge and address this challenge.

We must all work together as a nation to address the issue of security, we should stop playing politics with security.”

The Speaker said he had indicated interest to go the National Blood Transfusion Centre to donate blood to the victims.

“I call on well-meaning Nigerians who have the capacity to donate blood to please come out and donate blood and whatever is required for the survival of the victims.”

On what motivated him to donate blood to the victims, the speaker said that he was moved by “humanity in him and by what he saw’’

Tambuwal visits Nyanya victims