Twin Bombs Kill 3, Injure 17 in Maiduguri

Michael Olugbode in Maiduguri and Daji Sani in Yola    

Two bombs detonated yesterday morning by two female suicide bombers at the gate of Maiduguri Monday Market, the biggest market in the Borno State capital, killed three persons and injured 17 others, officials of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) have said. The dead were the bombers and one other person yet to be identified.

The incident, which occurred two days after a similar blast in Madagali, Adamawa State left about 45 people dead and 52 others injured, has forced the Borno State Government to convoke a stakeholders’ meeting to find ways of checkmating the resurgence of bombing in the state.

On its part, the Adamawa State Government has drafted over 70 health workers to Madagali to take care of the injured.

According to NEMA officials, the two teenage girls detonated explosive devices strapped around their waists at 8:50 amyesterday, rudely shocking the peace of the biggest market in the troubled state capital.

The officials said the casualty figure could have been higher, had the teenagers not been denied access to the vicinity of the market by eagle eyed security details at the market.

The teenagers were said to have detonated the explosives strapped on them when they were accosted by security details attached to the market. This was said to have resulted in a heavy bang, which left the two of them immediately dead and 18 others injured.

Speaking to journalists at the scene of the explosion, the Commissioner of Police, Borno Command, Mr. Damian Chukwu, confirmed the NEMA officials’ account.

He said only the two suicide bombers died while 18 persons sustained various degrees of injuries, adding that the injured had been taken to Borno State Specialist Hospital, Maiduguri.

Chukwu said: “At about 0850hrs today (Sunday), two suicide bombers detonated IEDs strapped to their bodies by Monday Market Roundabout; 18 persons sustained various degrees of injuries, and are currently at the State Specialist Hospital while only the suicide bombers died in the blast.”

The spokesman of NEMA, Mr. Sani Datti, who had earlier confirmed that only two suicide bombers died in the explosion, later called THISDAY to explain that one of the 17 injured victims of the explosion died in the hospital.

Meanwhile, the Borno State Governor, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, has summoned officials of all markets, motor parks, shopping complexes, football fields and other places of public gatherings in Maiduguri to an emergency security meeting with heads of security agencies and the civilian JTF today.

The stakeholders are expected to gather at the Borno Government House in Maiduguri, to discuss how to improve the security of the town and checkmate suicide bombing.

Shettima also visited the scene of ‎the suicide attacks around the market and was at the Accident and Emergency ward of the Maiduguri Specialist Hospital where he commiserated with the survivors.

He was told that three persons among the injured were undergoing emergency surgery at the hospital’s theatre.

The commissioner of police had informed the governor that the suicide attacks were carried out by two women in two close spots, both outside the Maiduguri Monday Market before 10am.

The police commissioner told the governor that beside the two suicide bombers who died on the spot, one other person died among the 18 that were injured in the explosion.

Shettima after the visits said: “Tomorrow, we will be having an emergency security meeting involving management of all the markets, motor parks, shopping centres, football fields and other attack-prone areas and we will invite the Civilian JTF and of course our security officials so that we cross pollinate ideas and come up with some new measures that will strengthen our existing security structure around markets.

“We have been taking different steps as the insurgents change their ways, we will all meet and come up with measures that will not be made public. This suicide attack is highly unfortunate, I condole and commiserate with the families of the victims. Insha

Allah, we will always do the best we can to prevent this kind of blood bath.”

The governor had in December 2014 ordered the barricade of most markets while youth volunteers under the Civilian JTF ‎were posted to man security around markets in Maiduguri.

This will not be the first time the Monday Market would be targeted by the Boko Haram insurgents, they had at different times in the past used persons who concealed bombs and pretend to be buyers of wares to attack the market.

The Adamawa State government has deployed over 70 health personnel to Michika General Hospital to render health services to victims of Friday’s bomb blast in Madagali Local Government Area of the state.

Governor Mohammed Bindow disclosed this shortly after an emergency security meeting yesterday attended by all the security chiefs, noting that the meeting was meant to discuss the way forward especially the current security situation in Madagali.

“Government has mandated all medical personnel from that axis to provide health services to the victims, while a team of doctors and nursing students from the state capital have been drafted to the affected area,” he said.

The governor called on good spirited individuals and organisations to donate blood to victims of the bomb blasts who are in need of blood.

According to him, “What is of most importantly needed by the victims in Michika General Hospital is blood. I hereby plead with individuals and organisations to donate blood to the victims of the bomb blasts because some of them have been reported by doctors that they are in need of blood.”

Bindow also directed traditional rulers and political leaders from Madagali Local Government Area to return to their bases and monitor the situation and report back to government on the spot assessment of the bomb blast in the area.

He said issues discussed at the security meeting was a skirmish between the military and the civilians in Ganye Local Government Area of the state and called on citizens to cooperate with the military to address the security challenge in the state.

He said there was a report that Boko Haram insurgents were planning to launch major attacks on citizens especially during this Yuletide periods of Maulu and Christmas, noting that people should cooperate with security agents as they might be searched before attending any function.

Bindow said people should be vigilant especially this Yuletide period and also report every suspicious movement in their localities to the security agencies in the state.