Nigerian Police Arrest Abuja School Explosion Survivor Following Hospital Discharge

The Nigerian police have apprehended Abba Saidu, one of the individuals affected by the recent explosion at the Almajiri Tsangaya Modern School located in the Kuchibuyi community of Kubwa, Abuja. Reports indicate that Saidu was taken into custody shortly after his discharge from the hospital, where he was being treated for injuries sustained during the explosion. The incident, which took place at the Tsangayar Sani Uthman Islamic School in the Bwari Area Council, was allegedly triggered by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) introduced by three individuals from Katsina who purported to be Islamic educators. The explosion resulted in the deaths of two individuals, including a young boy whose remains were discovered in a disfigured state, while another person sustained critical injuries. Saidu, who suffered severe injuries, was initially treated at Kubwa General Hospital before being transferred to the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital in Gwagwalada due to the seriousness of his condition. He remained hospitalized for approximately one week before being discharged. However, his elder brother, Salisu Dungu, disclosed that police officers had been surveilling him throughout his hospitalization. “I stayed with him for several days before asking my brother, Nura, to take care of him. Later, I was informed that the police had taken him to their office in Life Camp and subsequently moved him to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID),” Dungu informed journalists. Dungu expressed his concerns regarding Saidu’s ongoing detention, noting that he has already spent nearly two weeks in police custody. According to Saidu, the explosion occurred when one of the deceased victims, Harisu Lawan, discovered the device while searching for sweet potatoes in a nearby field. In a related development, Iliya Shuaibu, the father of another injured victim, Fauziyya Ilyasu, criticized the police's management of the situation. He also mentioned that the proprietor of the school, Adamu Hashimu, has been in custody since the incident took place. Authorities have yet to issue an official statement concerning Saidu’s arrest or the ongoing investigation into the matter.