We Could Have Prevented Zaria Bomb Blast But Attackers Switched Off Their Phones – El Rufai

Kaduna State Governor Nasiru El-Rufai has stated that security agencies in the state could have prevented the suicide bombers, who attacked Zaria recently, killing about 40 persons but the attackers switched off their phones, which security agencies were using to track them before carrying out the attack.

A female suicide bomber suspected to be a member of the Boko Haram sect attacked Sabon Gari Local Government Area of Kaduna State on Tuesday and disrupted the verification exercise of teachers, leaving about 40 people dead and many injured.

The governor made this disclosure while delivering a talk at the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Programme Booth Camp held at the Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State on Saturday.

He explained that the explosion occurred seven hours after the bombers switched off their telephone devices.

He said, “We knew that the forces were coming to Kaduna State with a bomb and we were tracking them. They got to Zaria and switched off their sets and they could not be tracked any longer.”

To provide sufficient protection for Nigerians, el-Rufai said the country needed twice the size of its current police force.

He said, “We need twice the Police Force we currently have for effective protection. This is one of the things we need to provide and I can assure you that President Muhammadu Buhari is working on it”.