How we escaped death – Survivors

Ayoni M. Agbabiaka

Some victims of the Nyanya bomb blast have told Blueprint how they escaped death by the whiskers.
Ms. Anna Bako, who had left home early for the Nyanya Motor Park to board a vehicle to Minna when the incident occurred, said she had barely crossed the road separating the Urban Mass Transit terminal from the motor park when the bomb went off.
“All of a sudden, I heard a loud deafening sound from the El-Rufai bus stop (Abuja Urban Mass Transit terminal) and thick fire covered everywhere,” she said.
“I have never seen such a thing in my life before. I was scared to death. I was near death. You can’t stand the sight of human body parts flying everywhere.

“I have never seen such a gory sight but I thank God Almighty for saving me. I would have died like others because when I got myself back, what I was seeing everywhere was blood, burnt dead bodies and pieces of human flesh.”
Another survivor, Mrs Lucy Okpanachi, who resides at Lorafkish Estate in One-Man village, said she was driving her car to the park to drop off her child to board one of the vehicles at the park to school when the explosion occurred.
“We were almost at the scene of the blast. I was going to drop my son who was supposed to board one of the Mass Transit buses going to Wuse-Berger route at the motor park and proceed to my office, which is along Aso Drive, and all of a sudden, there was a terrible sound of explosion and thick fire everywhere. The impact of the explosion shook our car heavily.
“We only managed to find our way back home from the road. Everywhere was jammed completely because of the incident, no movement.

“God saved my son because what would have happened if I had dropped him off at the park before the bomb went off? Thank God this never happened. He would have died with the other passengers.
“Both of us survived the blast by Gods intervention. We did not sustain any injury. We only felt serious vibration but thousands of lives were wasted today.”

Meanwhile, a resident of the area, Alhaji Babs Ajibade, told our reporter that the number of deaths reported could not be totally correct, saying “over 200 people” died from the explosion.
“Everything you have heard is a lie,” Ajibade said.
“You need to see the way the explosion shook the fence of my house. I witnessed it live. More than 200 people died.
“Four El-Rufai buses were loaded and ready to move and each one carries more than 57 passengers. It was so close to me, but thank God for His mercy. It is so sad.”