The car containing the bomb that exploded at a busy motor park in Nyanya, an Abuja suburb on Monday, was driven to the park by two men in military uniform.
Head of Operations of Isiyaka Nagode Enterprises, Salisu Mukhtar, made this known in an interview with a PUNCH correspondent in Abuja on Thursday.
But the allegation has been denied by the Nigerian Army.
Mukhtar also said that staff of the company had been questioned by the police.
He stated, “Somebody that slept there told us he was there when two men in Army uniforms entered and parked a car there.
“Two of them came in two cars. They parked the car and left in the other car around 2am. The person that saw them could not challenge them because they were in military uniform. They left in the second car.
“When he woke up around 5am, he still found the car there. Because he was disturbed, he sent one of his boys to our office but we had not come by then. The bomb exploded when the boy he sent was returning and he died in the bomb blast”.
According to him, the FCT police command has begun investigation into the incident, adding that they (the management of the park) did not witness the bomb blast.
“They (police) quizzed us about the incident but we told them we were not there when the thing happened”, he said.
Mukhtar also revealed that he lost seven members of staff in the explosion.
“We have seen their corpses. They are in the mortuary now. Seven of them including loaders and one task force member are dead”.
In his reaction to the allegation, the Director, Army Public Relations, Brig.-Gen Laleye Olajide, described it as a falsehood which should be dismissed.
Olajide accused those making the allegation of being on a mission to ‘destroy the image of the army’.
The army spokesperson wondered why those making the claim did not speak up immediately after the explosion on Monday, wondering why the revelation is coming several days after the incident occurred.
He said, “Why did they not say so in the beginning when the explosion occurred if it was true?
“Why did they not say it at the time. This thing happened how many days ago, it happened since Monday and I have not read it anywhere. People said they even recovered the bodies of the bombers, they did not say the bodies were recovered with military uniform.
“Why are people just out to destroy the image of the Army? This is falsehood, it is not true. It is just another attempt to destroy the image of the Army”.
They have started again! They don’t need to look too far away as the bomb was berried in the night because no security arrangement was in place to prevent such activity in such an important and sensitive place! The government should sensitize the general public on the need to always pay serious attention to security issues mostly now that there are forces fighting very hard against the unity of the Nation for this reason, such a place should not be left unmanned by professional security personnel either government or private guards but not meguard this will go along way in frustrating the terrorist attempts! Let the security agencies recruit more Nigeria for this fight as there are many Nigeria out there ready to serve the Nation like me but the opportunity is yet to come! I can tell you categorically that a lot of people in some of our security Agencies actually bought the job they didn’t get it on merit but those of us that merit it may not get because I personally is not ready to part with any cash in an exchange of job! Let Government Agencies if possible recruit from private guards companies that are dully regulated by GOVT and deploy to all the sensitive area including major bus terminals collapse the mini terminals also. This Will go along way to challenge and frustrate the activities of terrorist in our land.
Forget about uniform…the road them pass to the park…no security
Now the army are another boko haram or what are they talking?????.it may be true cus every one is corupt in Nigeria even the leaders can still use them.if u have money u can use even gov cus they love money.every election day they will shearing 1000naira 4u to vote 4them.if they enter they start making their families rich then forget the contry they are roling.our former gov has 300Jeeps whit mansions.now every gov want to be president but what have they done in their states????????????all Nigeria must repent or face vengers 4rm God.
Nawaoooooooooooooo
i am so perplexed that the army would be denying things they have not seen or investigated. eye witnesses saw these people and the army is saying it’s an attempt to destroy its image. for God’s sake anybody can have access to these uniforms to perpetrate this dastardly act. its a case for the army to investigate further rather than blindly deny that people wearing army uniforms carried out the attacks.