Agony Of 10-Year-Old Victim Of Kaduna Blast: I Went To Buy Shoes for Sallah, But The Bomb Went Off And Destroyed My Leg

A few days before Wednesday’s Kaduna bomb explosion, 10-year-old Abubakar Usman was full of hope and joy. He was excited that he would be wearing a new pair of shoes on the forthcoming Sallah day.

That joy has since been terminated, as a bomb hit him and cut his leg.

Usman told Daily Sun on his hospital bed at 44 Army Reference Hospital that his mother had asked him to go and meet his elder brother so that the latter would buy new shoes for him at Kawo market.

He said it was not too long that they entered the market when the bomb exploded, devastating the area and killing several people as well as injuring others.

He said he did not know how he got to the hospital, but believed that government officials must have brought him to the hospital for medical treatment.

Abubakar Usman said: “My mother said I should go and meet with my elder brother in Kawo market to buy new shoes for me for the coming Sallah celebration. As we were entering the market to buy the shoes, we heard of the bomb explosion. Then all of a sudden, one of my legs started bringing out plenty blood, and I now realised that it was the bomb blast that hit me. I fell on the ground, and I did not know who brought me to the hospital. I don’t even know where my brother is now.

“My father is working with the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), and my mother is at home. My mother came to the hospital with all my brothers to see me. I am now looking forward to the Sallah celebration despite what happened to me.”

Also, another survivor, Abdulmumini Adamu, who is also receiving medical attention at the same hospital, said he had earlier left the venue of the Ramadan lecture at Murtala Square, and that as soon as he got to kawo, alighting from a commercial bus, the bomb blast hit him.

Adamu said he was missing the care and love of his parents as they live far away in Makarfi Local Government area, adding that he wanted them by his bedside.

According to Abdulmumini Adamu, “I was coming from tafsir (Ramadan lecture) at Murtala Square, and as soon as  I got to Kawo, the bomb blast occurred very close to where I was coming down from a commercial bus. The blast affected my hands, my legs and part of my face. I live in Kaduna with my brothers, but my parents are staying in Makarfi Local Government. I have not been able to reach them because  I don’t have a mobile telephone. I want to see them by my bedside in this hospital.”

Another victim that survived the blast, Abdulrazak Musa, also narrated his experience: “I repair both generating set and motorcycle. I went to Kawo to collect a job when the bomb explosion affected my leg and my hand. I can say that I was at the right place at the wrong time. I thank God that I am getting better. And I thank whoever brought me to the hospital because I still don’t know how I came here.”