No fewer than six persons were killed and many others injured during a suicide bomb attack at a crowded grocery market in Maiduguri on Friday, a member of the youth vigilance group told our correspondent on the telephone.
The attack, which temporarily stopped commercial activities in the market, happened early in the morning.
The member of the youth vigilance group, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the bomb was detonated by a woman who arrived at the market pretending to buy vegetables.
He said the woman arrived in a tricycle at about 6:30 am on Friday at Gamboru market where a wholesale trading of fresh vegetables is done.He said the woman who seeing that she might perhaps be caught by the security at the entrance to the market quickly detonated the bomb strapped on her at the tricycle park at the market. The source said, “The blast occurred near the entrance of Gamboru market where commercial tricycle operators park to pick passengers.
“The woman had come on a tricycle like every other person to the market. Immediately the woman arrived and saw that she might have to undergo security screening before being allowed to go into the market, she detonated the explosives on her and this left her dead with the driver and three others. Many were also injured by the explosion.”
He added that the trading at the market was temporarily halted as the bodies of the victims had to be evacuated and the injured taken to hospital.
The Information Officer, National Emergency Management Agency, North-East, AbdulKadir Ibrahim, confirmed that there was an explosion at the market, but told journalists to wait a little longer to get the casualty figure.
NEMA Coordinator for North-East, Mohammed Kanar, said six persons were killed in the early morning explosion.
He said, “I cannot give you the exact time of the blast but our men were called to offer assistance at about 7am. We found out that six persons were killed and two of the bodies were mangled.”
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