…as multiple explosions kill 56

Multiple explosions yesterday rocked Mai­duguri, Borno State capital fueling suspicion that some Boko Haram bombers may have invaded the city. The explosions, which occurred near two major markets and a motor park killed no fewer than 53 people. Another explosion at Beneshiek only succeeded in killing the two male and fe­male bombers. The ill-fated bombing operation came to an abrupt end when the bombers in a Volkswagen Golf car sud­denly pulled over after sighting a military checkpoint. They disembarked and headed to a nearby bush, just as the Im­provised Explosive Devices , IEDs strapped to their bodies went off, killing them instantly, travelers who witnessed the incident told Sunday Sun.

Residents said they had expe­rienced a month of relative peace until bombers struck again yes­terday noon, first at Baga Market west of Maiduguri city. A Boko Haram bomber in a tricycle was reported to have triggered off an improvised explosion, killing over a dozen people and injuring scores of others.

Barely five minutes later, another explosion occurred at a check-point near the Maiduguri Monday Market at the heart of the city at 12:06pm. Witnesses said some youth vigilante (Civil­ian JTF) were conducting checks on women moving into the mar­ket area along Kofar Biu when a bomb-laden woman believed to have joined the queue earlier detonated her bomb. No fewer than 15 people mostly women and vigilantes died in the blast, Salisu Mustapha, a trader in the market told Sunday Sun.

While rescue workers were battling to evacuate the dead and victims from the scene, another bomb went off at a car mart adja­cent Borno government owned bus terminus; Borno Express. A bomb carefully concealed in a disused tyre exploded at the car mart. Residents around the area said they saw about 10 mangled bodies being evacuated from the scene after the Police Bomb Dis­posal unit had cleared the area of possible unexploded improvised explosive devices.

Sources at the Borno Special­ists Hospital, Maiduguri said 47 corpses from the blast scenes were deposited at the mortuary nearly two hours after the ex­plosions. By evening yesterday, the casualty figure has risen to 53, a senior medical personnel who was not authorized to speak on the incident, told Sunday Sun. The source also said the casualty could be higher as some seri­ously injured victims have very slim chances of survival. “Just keep praying for them, God can do what we thought was impos­sible,” the source said.

Chief Medical Officer of the hospital, Dr Salisu Kwaya Bura put the number of the dead at 50, adding that 36 people are receiving treatment following injuries sustained in the blasts. “Government has directed free treatment for the injured persons and we will do our best to ensure the patients stabilize,” he told journalists at the hospital. Hun­dreds of families of deceased and injured ones besieged vari­ous public hospitals in the capi­tal yesterday afternoon in search of their loved ones. Sunday Sun learnt that some of the injured persons have also been taken to Umaru Shehu General Hospital, Gen Mamman Shuwa Hospital and the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) due to the high number of victims.

Some of the roads leading to the scenes of the blasts were immediately condoned off by soldiers while many residents who had earlier gone out for so­cial and economic engagements, were forced to retire home earlier. Youth vigilants were also seen intensifying stop and search of tricycles and cabs. The state Police Commissioner, Mr Clement Adoda confirmed the explosion.

http://sunnewsonline.com/new/?p=108096