Suspected suicide bomber, Nathaniel Samuel, who was arrested for carrying an improvised explosive device (IED) at a Living Faith Church a.k.a Winners Chapel in Sabon Tasha area in Kaduna State, has claimed he thought the bag contatined items for decoration.
Samuel was paraded by Kaduna State Police Command before newsmen on Tuesday.,
He said he got the bag from a woman named ‘Grace’ after attending an event the previous day.
Samuel said; “I went to the church in the morning at about past 8 am, so while I was seating down, I was listening to the sermon from the man of God. All of a sudden I had a stomach ache, so I decided to go and use the toilet.
“When I came into the church I was holding a bag which contained some of my items, some of my documents because a day before that day, I went for an event at Ngwamboro, Sabo.
“We got it from the event through a lady I told them about and her name is Grace; when she gave it to me, I never knew what the devices were until after my bag was searched that I got to understand what they are.”
He also alleged that the policemen who interrogated him at the police station found that the bag had no explosives but just “mere” fireworks for decoration.
Samuel added;
“But at the long run, when they interviewed me at the police station, they discovered they are not explosives; they are mere fireworks for decoration.”
Commenting on the arrest, Police spokesman DSP Yakubu Sabo alleged that the suspect had an intention of wrecking havoc in the church before being nabbed by vigilant security personnel.
Sabo said;
“This suspect smuggled into that church with his bag and placed his bag on the church chair. Thereafter, he went into a restroom and stayed there for over an hour.
“This gave the apprehension by some of the church members that were observing service and drew the attention of the policemen providing security at the church that later came in and went straight to the restroom to bring him out.
“On enquiry, he confirmed to the policemen that the items in the bag belong to him, and on a closer look, they were suspected to be IEDs.
“The police is still investigating and whatever the outcome of the investigation, we will let the world know and do the needful.
“Crime is no respecter of religion, persons, tribe and whatever a social affiliation; a criminal is always a criminal. We should always concentrate on the act not the personality of the person involved.”