Northerners Flee Imo State After Failed Bomb Attempt

There is tension in the Hausa community in Imo State, following the arrest of six suspects by the police in connection with the foiled terror attack on a church in Owerri. Most of the Hausa, it was learnt, had fled their homes and other locations where they usually converged, for fear of attack by youths, who see them as security threats. Some of the deserted areas are Onitsha/Owerri Road and Mbaise Road, where Hausa petty traders and labourers stay. Police spokesman Andrew Enwerem, who confirmed the arrest, said the suspects had not been linked to the bombs planted at the Winners’ Chapel in Owerri. He said the nationalities of the suspects would not be made public to avoid compromise. There is panic in the state, as people avoid crowded public places. Most television viewing centres, where football fans converge, were empty on Monday night during the Nigeria-Iran match. Parents and guardians have reportedly withdrawn their children and wards from the Winners’ Chapel school located on the church premises. When our correspondent visited the school yesterday, it was in session, but attendance was low. Meanwhile the Church Owner Bishop Oyedepo arrives Owerri to assess situation. Bishop Oyedepo Arriving Owerri Meanwhile following the bomb scare in the Living Faith Church (Winners Chapel), in Owerri last Sunday, the  General Overseer, Bishop David Oyedepo, yesterday visited the Imo State headquarters of the Church. Bishop Oyedepo, who paid a courtesy call on Governor Rochas Okorocha in Government House, Owerri, thanked him for the quick intervention made to avert the planned disaster by the Boko Haram insurgents. He regretted that the nation was being plagued by Boko Haram insurgency,  which had taken a great toll on the lives and property of innocent Nigerians and prayed God to intervene as well as imbue the nation’s leaders with the wisdom to stem the growing cancer of insurgency and terrorism. Oyedepo, who stressed that prompt action was needed by government at all levels to keep terrorism under check, noted that Boko Haram was beyond politics and urged all to join hands to fight the menace to ensure a peaceful and united Nigeria. Okorocha commended Oyedepo for his visit and assured that the state government was not relenting in its efforts to ensure security of lives and property of residents. He pointed out that the security and progress of Imo State were anchored on God as the state observed 10 minutes daily devotion to God.  “Imo State is fortified by the Holy Ghost,” he maintained. Okorocha commended the Living Faith Church for its role in uplifting the spiritual lives  and  promoting education in the country. He appealed to the Bishop to build a campus of Covenant University in Imo State, assuring that the state would provide the land for the project.