Bomb Kills 20 In Borno Village Market Attack

Scores killed by hidden explosive device at Sabon Gari market

At least 20 traders were confirmed dead and about 41 others seriously injured in a bomb blast that rocked a village market in Borno State yesterday, according to eyewitnesses’ accounts. The explosive which was suspected to have been hidden somewhere within the town went off at about 1:30pm when traders crowded the open commercial area.

Leadership report continues:

“Many people were killed in Sabon Gari market this afternoon when a bomb explosion rocked the market”, Yakubu Kimba, a vigilante official patrolling the Biu-Damboa highway said. We heard loud explosions at about 1:35pm; when we got there, people were scattered; it was not a suicide bombing attack; the bomb was planted at the centre of the market. The bomb had created a wide hole at the spot where it exploded. We counted about 20 dead bodies, while several other human bodies were battered beyond recognition”, he added.
An official of the local Vigilante Group of Nigeria, Abbas Gava, confirmed the attack, saying “our officials in Biu town arrived Sabon-Gari village from Biu town about two hours after the blast and informed us that about 24 persons were confirmed killed, while over 60 others were seriously injured and were being taken to the hospital.”
A hospital source in Biu, 41km away from Sabon-Gari village, who would not want to be named in this report for official reasons, said 41 injured persons were currently receiving treatment, while over 20 bodies “mostly burnt or battered beyond recognition were also brought to the mortuary”.