• Taraba residents vow as bomb explosion shakes Doruwa
For residents of Taraba State and even beyond, Doruwa, Jalingo, is a place of fun, relaxation and other social indulgences. Blessed with a gift of peace, Doruwa is nothing but a happy setting for lavish entertainment. It is, therefore, not surprising that scores of fun-seekers patronise the setting on a daily basis.
However, the very peace for which the area is known was shattered recently. On that Sunday night, an Improvised Explosive Device (IED), went off from one of its joints, destroying properties and causing injuries to many people.
Flaring off barely a year after the last incident of bomb blast in the state, the tragedy revived old fears and left many in shock as to what might have revived the act of terror.
Few hours before the blast, different cells of fun-seekers had happily walked in and out of joints in the area. They never saw this coming, not when everything seemed normal and peaceful. And as dusk grew darker, the crowd only increased in number preparatory to the hour of doom.
Half way down the fateful night came a deafening blast. The sound tore through the atmosphere, shook the earth and forced many to react differently. Many were dazed; several others fell flat on the ground while a few others scampered in different directions without looking back.
Matthew Dogo, who escaped harm by whiskers, recalled that he never expected anything to go wrong on that night, insisting that the night was just too beautiful to end in ugliness.
He said the explosion took him unawares as he was in the middle of a talk with a friend when it went off: The blast was deafening and ear-tearing. I could not hear anything within the first few minutes of the explosion.
“I live around Sabon-Gari, Jalingo. I come here quite often to ease out. In fact, for the last 10 years, I think I have been here on every Sunday I was in town. On that Sunday, I came here with my friends and we were drinking and talking as usual.
“Some guys sat there at that spot (pointing) where it happened. They were people and faces that we knew around here. I think they had some sort of meeting at that particular place. Not long after their departure, the explosion went off.
“It happened without any warning. I remember hearing the most deafening sound I had ever heard and then, the explosion itself. It was as if they were shooting from multiple machine guns. We ran in all directions, with some persons hiding by the side of the trees and some jumping inside gutters.
“I was hit by shrapnel on my leg, but the damage is not much. I think
God actually saved us. If the explosion had gone off while those fellows were still meeting there, the tragedy would certainly have been disastrous. Luckily, they had gone home before it happened.
“Another thing that helped the day was that the explosion went off through the roof top instead. If it had gone sideways rather than upwards, it would have affected a lot of people. We just thank God that no life was lost.”
One of the women selling local beer (Burukutu) at the spot of the explosion suffered severe injury on her leg. She was among the few unlucky ones. According to witnesses, she was the closest person to the explosion. It tore through her Buba dress and left her right leg in shreds.
Emmanuel Davou’s own narration: “I came here with my friend. I am not from Taraba State but my friend took me there to relax. Everything was very okay. I met a group of jolly good fellows and felt completely at home. The disruption came so sudden and devastating.
“I laid flat on the floor when I heard the explosion, not knowing what was going on. In the mid of the commotion, I heard a woman crying.
When I rose, I saw that she was on the ground with a gorge on her leg.
Blood was gushing out profusely. I was scared.
“I shoved my fears aside and went to her. I first tried to tie the leg to control the blood. It was horrible. You could see blood all over this place. Other people were also injured, but her injury was most horrible. It was the most terrifying moment of my life.”
Daniel Faasema said: “This attack was one too many and a serious call on the security agencies to step up their game. This is really very scary.
“We cannot have a situation where bombs go off indiscriminately and you stay scared, not knowing where the next one will explode. We are contending with kidnappers, bandits and other criminals. This new dimension is totally unacceptable.
“It would seem that they have problems with a certain lifestyle, going by the precedence we have. We cannot have some people coming to impose their ways of life on us. The relevant authorities must rise up to defend the safety and freedom of the people.
“It is also very important for all of us to stay vigilant. We must be able to grow to a point that we can nib these things in the bud. I remember that some time ago, the police said they had arrested a bomb manufacturer. What has become of him and his gang? What is the outcome of their investigation?
“These are some loopholes that we must begin to fill to give the people confidence in the system to share intelligence with them freely.”
For some operators of public relaxation joints, this is a cause for serious concern as it threatens their businesses and lives. A manager of a very popular joint in the metropolis who spoke in confidence told Daily Sun:
“For me, this simply gives me sleepless nights. I operate a drinking joint. If drinking joints are now targets of bombs, then it’s every cause for me to worry. It simply means this can happen to anyone and at anytime.”
He appealed to the security operatives to apprehend those behind the terror attacks before they carry out more of their heinous acts.
The state police spokesman, Usman Abdullahi, said: “Two persons were injured in the attack. The command is carrying out detailed investigation to arrest those behind the attack.
“The Commissioner of Police directed the DC Operations to quickly commence the investigation. Our anti-bomb squad visited the scene to determine what really happened and what type of explosives were used and to try and fish out those behind the acts.”
When our Correspondent visited the scene the morning after the attack,
the people were back to business. Yusuf told Daily Sun that nothing short of death would deter him from living life to its fullest:
“If the plan is to stop us from enjoying ourselves, then they have failed already. For me, even if they were to drop bombs every day, I will still wake up and take my morning shot.
“I was right here last night when it happened. After the initial panic, I still sat back to have my full doze for the night. The police came and sealed this place up as a crime scene. But we still went out to other spots to enjoy ourselves. This is Doruwa. You can not kill our spirit.”
