18 persons
are feared dead and several others injured as a bomb
blast rocked Muna garage, a satellite community in Maiduguri, the
Borno State capital, early this morning.
Residents of the
community woke up Wednesday morning to a loud bang which turned out to be an
Improvised Explosive Device, (IED) leaving many injured.
Rescue officials are
still evacuating bodies of the injured are yet to give an official statement as
to the number of and the casualties, a source in Maiduguri Specialist
Hospital told Daily Trust
that at least 18 bodies have been deposited in the hospital morgue with more
being expected.
Public Relations
Officer to Borno State Police Command confirmed the bomb blast but
stated that only five people died, while five others sustained injuries.
The incidence occurred
few meters to an unofficial Internally Displaced People’s camp, housing 16,000
people.
Muna garage which is
on the way to Gamboru Ngala, is said not to be passable without a military
escort. Trucks and vehicles conveying goods and passengers towards the area
normally go in a convoy escorted by military men.
The bomb is suspected
to have been planted by terror group Boko Haram inside a
car near the motor park, as two vehicles were reportedly blown off by the
blast.
Security operatives
have cordoned off the area, while other residents are going on with their
normal activities.
Nigeria’s northeast
region has been a stronghold of the extremist group Boko Haram. In past
months, the Nigerian military has launched several military operations to
eliminate the terrorist threat.
On Tuesday, October
11, Kwashebe, a village in Borno was reportedly attacked by the Boko Haram
terrorists. The attack left at least five people dead.
The military reported
that it killed two Boko Haram terrorists and injured several in a local
government in Borno state on Tuesday as well.
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