‘They wanted to blow me’ — Buhari recounts 2014 bomb attack in Kaduna

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday recounted the 2014 bombing that rocked Kaduna state and left over 80 people dead.

The president is in the state to inaugurate some projects initiated by the Nasir el-Rufai-led Kaduna government.

A combined team of heavily armed soldiers and the police were deployed to strategic locations across the city ahead of the president’s visit.

Speaking after he inaugurated the remodelled Kawo overhead bridge along Zaria road, the president narrated how he narrowly escaped being killed in the area eight years prior.

“They wanted to blow me here, but my escort somehow stopped them,” he said.

“Before we came to this bridge, they (the bombers) became so desperate and there was a small market or something like this here.

“They exploded the device. God protected us and here I am again.”

At the time of the incident, Buhari was the leading opposition figure in the country.

‘ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT’

In a statement he personally signed in the aftermath of the attack in 2014, Buhari had described the incident as an assassination attempt.

“I was personally involved in a clearly targeted bomb attack along Ali Akilu Road, Kawo-Kaduna at about 2:30pm on my way to Daura,” he wrote.

“The unfortunate event, clearly an assassination attempt, came from a fast-moving vehicle that made many attempts to overtake my security car but was blocked by my escort vehicle.

“We reached the market area of Kawo where he attempted to take advantage of our slowing down and attempted to ram my car and instantly detonated the bomb, which destroyed all the three vehicles in our convoy.

“Unfortunately, when I came out of my vehicle, I saw many dead bodies littered around. They were innocent people going about their daily businesses who became victims of mass murder.

“Thank God for His mercy, I came out unhurt but with three of my security staff sustaining minor injuries – they have since been treated in the hospital and discharged.”

A day after the incident, Goodluck Jonathan, who was the president at the time, put a call through to Buhari to express his sympathy.