Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Thursday confirmed that a total of 18 people died in the 29 May inauguration day bomb blasts in the northern town of Bauchi and Zuba, on the outskirt of the national capital of Abuja. Also, 31 surviving victims of the blasts are receiving treatment in various hospitals in Bauchi and the Federal Capital Territory. Director General of NEMA, Muhammad Sani-Sidi, said in Bauchi during an on the spot-assessment of the situation that many lives were actually saved as a “result of proactive approaches, preventive measures, as well as prompt response of relevant agencies before and during the incidents.”
Sani-Sidi said NEMA had continued to deploy relief assistance and rallied medical supports for speedy recovery of victims of bomb blasts in the country.
According to him, “the agency has established contacts with the medical facilities in most flash-spots throughout the federation, in anticipation of any untoward event, where victims could receive prompt attention and treatment. Our operational offices have commenced compilation of lists of the victims and damages for the required assistance.”
While making cash donations and provision of relief materials, the NEMA boss further disclosed that the federal government was taking the responsibility for the treatment and feeding of victims still admitted in various public hospitals in Bauchi and Federal Capital Territory.
He commended the stakeholders, particularly the State Emergency Management Agencies (SEMAs), military, the police, civil defence corps and the Red Cross for the prompt assistance rendered to those affected by the blasts.