The Police on Sunday said they foiled an attempt by a suicide bomber operating in a pick-up van laden with Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) to explode them in Damaturu, the Yobe capital.
This is contained in a statement issued in Abuja by Maj.-Gen. Chris Olukolade, Director of Defence Information and Coordinator of Joint Information Centre, Counter Terrorism Campaign.
According to the statement, “the target was the `A’ Division Police Command situated by the main round about in the heart of the town.
“The attempt was, however, foiled as the culprit was arrested by police personnel on duty.
“Six turbine containers loaded with explosives, 20 litres of petrol and 11 bags of bean chaff were recovered from the scene’’, the statement said.
It added that the police and the bomb squad had defused the IEDs.
Also the Commissioner of Police in the state, Alhaji Sanusi Rufai, said a 19-year old Abubakar Umar, driving a Chevrolet pickup van, attempted to ram into the police station.
Rufai said policemen on duty halted the suspected bomber who made an escape bid by abandoning the vehicle but was arrested.
The commissioner said that the policemen fired warning shots before apprehending the suspect.
“Five gas cylinders, 20 litres of A.G.O., 10 liters of PMS, fire extinguishers loaded with explosives, five battery chargers and a wall clock were recovered from the vehicle.
“The police anti-bomb squad defused the explosives, evacuated the materials and ensured safety of the area’’, Rufai said.
Rufai said that the suspect, who claimed to hail from Goniri village, made confessional statements to the police.
