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| People inspect a damaged mosque following an explosion in Maiduguri, Nigeria, Friday, Oct. 23, 2015. A self-defense fighter says twin bomb blasts have killed at least 18 at a northeast Nigerian mosque crowded with people observing pre-dawn prayers. (AP Photo/Jossy Ola) |
Terror sect, BokoHaram,
yesterday let loose its suicide bombers on worshippers in
Maiduguri and Yola, leaving at least 55 people dead in both attacks. Twenty-eight worshippers
were feared killed during the Fajr (early morning prayer) in a mosque
at Jiddari Polo area of the Borno State capital. Time was 5 am.
Umar
Sani, a civilian vigilante assisting the military in the counter-insurgency,
and local resident Musa Sheriff both told AFP there were two blasts at the
mosque.
“I
was involved in the evacuation. We counted 28 dead bodies apart from the two
bombers, who were identifiable by the mutilation of their bodies,” said Sani.
“Over
20 other people were injured.”
The Nation report continues:
Abdulkadir
Ibrahim, spokesman for the National Relief Agency, put the death
toll at six.He said 17 others were injured.
Hospital
sources put the death toll at 19.
A member
of the local vigilance group who took part in the evacuation of the dead
said there appeared to be only one suicide bomber though “we all heard
two explosions.”
Sani
and Sheriff said two other people were arrested and handed over to the military
for questioning after they were seen apparently celebrating following the blasts.
The
two men were “standing from afar, hugging each other like a celebration,
chanting “Allahu Akbar” (God is greatest)”, said Sani.
“To
them it was a mission accomplished,” added Sheriff.
Nine
hours later , another suicide bomber detonated an Improvised
Explosive Device (IED at the Jambutu Hajj camp mosque in Yola soon after
the Imam finished his sermon.
State
Police Commissioner Gabriel Adaji said eight worshippers were killed.
Other
sources put the death toll at 27.
One
volunteer at the scene, who helped in the rescue effort but asked not to be
identified, said: “This mosque is newly built and this was the first Jumat in
it.
“While
worshippers had risen for the prayers to start after the sermon by the imam,
there was a huge blast in the premises.”
NEMA’s
coordinator in the Adamawa state capital, Sa’ad Bello said 116 people were
being treated for injuries at two hospitals in the city.
Most
of the injured were in a stable condition, with injuries ranging from fractures
and burns to cuts from the blast, he added.
Yola
has been seen as a relatively safe haven from the Boko Haram insurgency, which
has ravaged the northeast for the last six years.
But
fears were heightened after an explosive device went off at a camp for
displaced people to the south of the city last month, killing seven people and
injuring 20 more.
Boko
Haram’s suicide bombers also attacked worshippers at mosques in
Maiduguri last week.
Overall,Maiduguri
has been hit six times this month alone by Boko Haram insurgents.
Its
fighters also attacked targets in Abuja and Kogi State recently.
This
week, the police warned that the group was now building bombs within
electronic devices like tablets, phones, and laptops, then leaving them for
unsuspecting Nigerians to pick up.
The
police issued the warning after the arraignment on Thursday of five
suspects connected with a double bombing in Nigeria’s capital that killed 18
people on Oct. 2.
The
defendants were charged with conspiracy and acts of terrorism at the
Federal High Court in Abuja.
The case was adjourned
until a further hearing on November 17.
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