SOLDIERS patrolled the streets of Kaduna on Monday, a day after at least 10 people were killed and 145 wounded in a suicide church bombing and reprisal.
Many residents remained indoors as soldiers mounted checkpoints and frisked motorists and passers-by. A number of businesses were also shut following the attack.
Christian mobs had roamed the area near the church in the Malali neighbourhood on Sunday after the attack, targeting people they presumed to be Muslims, including one man who was reportedly burnt alive.
On Monday, residents said roadblocks were mounted around the scene of the blast and the two flashpoint districts of Goni-Gora and Tudun-Wada.
“There has been heavy military deployment since yesterday following the attack. This morning, two armoured cars and more troops arrived in these areas,” said Emmanuel Mayaki, a resident of Goni-Gora.
Another resident, Hadila Johnson, spoke of an increased presence of soldiers and a number of checkpoints. He said the roads leading to the church were cordoned off by soldiers.
Military spokesman, Colonel Sani Usman, told AFP the heavy presence of soldiers was “to restore law and order.”
The attack on the church during the morning service left at least seven people dead in addition to the bomber, while at least three people were killed in reprisal. The bomb attack wounded 145 people.
Although no group has claimed responsibility for the church blast, the incident was similar to previous attacks blamed on Islamist extremist group Boko Haram.
Boko Haram’s insurgency in northern and central Nigeria is believed to have left more than 2,800 people dead since 2009, including killings by the security forces.
The group has claimed to be seeking an Islamic state in Nigeria, though its demands have repeatedly shifted.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that 146 victims were admitted at Barau Dikko, St. Gerard’s and 44 military hospitals in Kaduna.
NAN also reported that 35 of the injured victims were still receiving treatment at the three hospitals on Monday.
The figure was released during a visit to the hospitals by officials of the state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN).
According to the administrator of St Gerard’s Hospital, Sister Theresa Dung, 14 victims were brought to the hospital and two had been discharged.
Theresa said that four of the victims on admission at the hospital were children.
At the Barau Dikko Hospital, the CAN officials were told that out of the 97 victims of the Sunday bomb blast, only 18 were left.
The team leader of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Mr Aly Ouattara, who was seen treating some of the patients, said that the hospital had discharged 79 patients who were in stable condition.
NAN reported that officials at the army hospital confirmed that 30 patients had also been discharged while five were still receiving treatment.
In his remarks, the state CAN chairman, Reverend Samuel Kujiyat, said “in this situation, we are also grateful to God because we cannot question
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