No fewer than 60 worshippers were killed and 68 others injured as twin-bomb explosions which bore the unmistaken signature of the Boko Haram terror sect on Tuesday rocked a mosque in Mubi, Adamawa State, North-east of Nigeria while the worshippers were holding the Zuhr (afternoon) prayer.
Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the recruitment of 6,000 additional policemen as part of fresh measures to address the nation’s security challenges including the farmers/herdsmen clashes across the country.
The president dropped the hint in a special interview session with Voice of America, Hausa service, in Washington, United States on Tuesday morning, reported the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
According to the accounts of two local residents who attended funerals of the victims as reported by the AFP, the deaths toll is likely to rise as more bodies could be recovered from the twin bomb blast scene.
One of them, Muhammad Hamidu, confirmed that: “I took part in the burial of 68 people. More bodies were being brought by families of the victims.”
Another resident, Abdullahi Labaran, said: “We left 73 freshly dug graves where each victim was buried.”
Although the police spokesperson in the state, Othman Abubakar, a superintendent of police, gave an initial figure of 24 persons who died in the first blast which occurred at about 1:00 p.m; another eyewitness who claimed to be at the scene of the rescue operations said 31 bodies were counted.
Rescue worker Sani Kakale said: “In my presence, 42 dead bodies were taken to the hospital and 68 injured.”
A source at Mubi General Hospital told AFP they had “so far” received 37 bodies and dozens of the injured, many of them critically.
Although neither an individual nor group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, suspicion immediately fell on Boko Haram, the jihadist group whose quest to establish a hardline Islamic state in northeast Nigeria has left at least 20,000 dead since 2009.
“While people were evacuating the victims of the first blast, another explosion occurred,” Abubakar told PREMIUM TIMES.
‘’As I am talking to you now, 24 persons are confirmed dead. The scene has been cordoned off by the anti-bomb squad and other security personnel,’’ Mr Abubakar said.
Eyewitnesses had earlier reported that ‘’many lives were lost and several persons injured”.
The explosion was allegedly triggered by a teenage boy wearing a suicide vest.
Garba Habu, a local resident, said he counted over eight corpses at the scene.
‘’A boy of about 18-19 -years wearing a suicide vest was said to have entered the mosque along with other worshippers. Immediately after the prayers, he detonated the bomb,” he said.
Another resident, Isa Danladi, said he was about to leave his house near the mosque when he heard the blast
“Many people died on the spot and several others were taken to hospital with severe injuries,” he said.
“The mosque’s roof was blown off. The prayer was mid-way when the bomber detonated the explosives. This is obviously the work of Boko Haram,” he said.
Haruna Hamman Furo, head of Adamawa State Emergency Management Agency, described the blast as “devastating”, saying there were “high casualties”.
‘’It was a twin-blast and the detail is sketchy but we are in touch with our partners of Red Cross and others that are helping now.
“For now dead bodies are being evacuated and those injured have been taken to hospitals. Right now we are on our way to Mubi,’’ he said.
The insurgents briefly overran Mubi in late 2014 as they rampaged across North-east Nigeria, seizing towns and villages in a quest to establish an Islamic state.
The insurgents changed the town’s name to Madinatul Islam, or “City of Islam”, during their brief occupation period.
But it has been peaceful since the Nigerian military and civilian militias ousted them and recovered the town, which is a commercial hub and host of the Adamawa State University.
In recent months, Boko Haram’s activities had been concentrated in the far north of the state around Madagali, near the boundary with Borno State.
There have been repeated suicide bombings in the area, which lies close to the Sambisa Forest in Borno where the militants had a base.
Boko Haram fighters are also said to be hiding in the Mandara mountains in the east of Adamawa State and on the border with Cameroon.
The Adamawa State Head of Operations, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Imam Ambani Garki, also confirmed the incident but said the agency has deployed personnel to ascertain the situation as the agency could not confirm the number of deaths.
He said it has been for a long time such an incident has occurred and NEMA is making effort to respond quickly to the situation.
Mubi has been repeatedly targeted in attacks blamed on Boko Haram since it was briefly overrun by the militants in late 2014.
Nigeria’s government and military have long maintained that the Islamic State group affiliate is a spent force and on the verge of defeat.
But there has been no let-up in attacks in the northeast, particularly in Borno State, adjacent to Adamawa, which has been the epicentre of the violence.
Last Thursday, at least four people were killed when suicide bombers and fighters attempted to storm the Borno State capital, Maiduguri, raising fresh questions about security.
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has been in the United States this week and met his US counterpart Donald Trump, who pledged more support in the fight against Boko Haram.
Nigeria has bought a dozen A-29 Super Tucano light fighter aircraft in a $496-million (413-million-euro) deal. Trump indicated a further order for attack helicopters was also in the pipeline.
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| Scene of blast |
Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the recruitment of 6,000 additional policemen as part of fresh measures to address the nation’s security challenges including the farmers/herdsmen clashes across the country.
The president dropped the hint in a special interview session with Voice of America, Hausa service, in Washington, United States on Tuesday morning, reported the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
According to the accounts of two local residents who attended funerals of the victims as reported by the AFP, the deaths toll is likely to rise as more bodies could be recovered from the twin bomb blast scene.
One of them, Muhammad Hamidu, confirmed that: “I took part in the burial of 68 people. More bodies were being brought by families of the victims.”
Another resident, Abdullahi Labaran, said: “We left 73 freshly dug graves where each victim was buried.”
Although the police spokesperson in the state, Othman Abubakar, a superintendent of police, gave an initial figure of 24 persons who died in the first blast which occurred at about 1:00 p.m; another eyewitness who claimed to be at the scene of the rescue operations said 31 bodies were counted.
Rescue worker Sani Kakale said: “In my presence, 42 dead bodies were taken to the hospital and 68 injured.”
A source at Mubi General Hospital told AFP they had “so far” received 37 bodies and dozens of the injured, many of them critically.
Although neither an individual nor group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, suspicion immediately fell on Boko Haram, the jihadist group whose quest to establish a hardline Islamic state in northeast Nigeria has left at least 20,000 dead since 2009.
“While people were evacuating the victims of the first blast, another explosion occurred,” Abubakar told PREMIUM TIMES.
‘’As I am talking to you now, 24 persons are confirmed dead. The scene has been cordoned off by the anti-bomb squad and other security personnel,’’ Mr Abubakar said.
Eyewitnesses had earlier reported that ‘’many lives were lost and several persons injured”.
The explosion was allegedly triggered by a teenage boy wearing a suicide vest.
Garba Habu, a local resident, said he counted over eight corpses at the scene.
‘’A boy of about 18-19 -years wearing a suicide vest was said to have entered the mosque along with other worshippers. Immediately after the prayers, he detonated the bomb,” he said.
Another resident, Isa Danladi, said he was about to leave his house near the mosque when he heard the blast
“Many people died on the spot and several others were taken to hospital with severe injuries,” he said.
“The mosque’s roof was blown off. The prayer was mid-way when the bomber detonated the explosives. This is obviously the work of Boko Haram,” he said.
Haruna Hamman Furo, head of Adamawa State Emergency Management Agency, described the blast as “devastating”, saying there were “high casualties”.
‘’It was a twin-blast and the detail is sketchy but we are in touch with our partners of Red Cross and others that are helping now.
“For now dead bodies are being evacuated and those injured have been taken to hospitals. Right now we are on our way to Mubi,’’ he said.
The insurgents briefly overran Mubi in late 2014 as they rampaged across North-east Nigeria, seizing towns and villages in a quest to establish an Islamic state.
The insurgents changed the town’s name to Madinatul Islam, or “City of Islam”, during their brief occupation period.
But it has been peaceful since the Nigerian military and civilian militias ousted them and recovered the town, which is a commercial hub and host of the Adamawa State University.
In recent months, Boko Haram’s activities had been concentrated in the far north of the state around Madagali, near the boundary with Borno State.
There have been repeated suicide bombings in the area, which lies close to the Sambisa Forest in Borno where the militants had a base.
Boko Haram fighters are also said to be hiding in the Mandara mountains in the east of Adamawa State and on the border with Cameroon.
The Adamawa State Head of Operations, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Imam Ambani Garki, also confirmed the incident but said the agency has deployed personnel to ascertain the situation as the agency could not confirm the number of deaths.
He said it has been for a long time such an incident has occurred and NEMA is making effort to respond quickly to the situation.
Mubi has been repeatedly targeted in attacks blamed on Boko Haram since it was briefly overrun by the militants in late 2014.
Nigeria’s government and military have long maintained that the Islamic State group affiliate is a spent force and on the verge of defeat.
But there has been no let-up in attacks in the northeast, particularly in Borno State, adjacent to Adamawa, which has been the epicentre of the violence.
Last Thursday, at least four people were killed when suicide bombers and fighters attempted to storm the Borno State capital, Maiduguri, raising fresh questions about security.
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has been in the United States this week and met his US counterpart Donald Trump, who pledged more support in the fight against Boko Haram.
Nigeria has bought a dozen A-29 Super Tucano light fighter aircraft in a $496-million (413-million-euro) deal. Trump indicated a further order for attack helicopters was also in the pipeline.
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