Boko Haram strikes again in Kano, as Yobe death toll climbs
No fewer than 15 mobile phone dealers and patrons were killed on Wednesday, while 20 others suffered varying degrees of injuries when two female suicide bombers blew up themselves at a market located at Farm Centre in Kano.
The Kano State Police Command however put the casualty figure at five, which included the two female bombers.
A couple of minutes after the explosion, angry residents gathered the fragmented remains of the female suicide bombers a few metres away from scene of the blast, piled used tyres on the pieces and set them ablaze.
One of our correspondents, who visited the scene of the explosion a few hours after the blast, observed that some parts of human flesh still littered the environment, which had been cordoned off by security operatives.
Pieces of cell phones could also be found in most parts of the market after the blast which occurred at about 3pm.
A man, who claimed to be a brother to one of the victims, identified as Ibrahim, told one of our correspondents amidst tears that he lost two of his relatives while another one was still missing.
Meanwhile, a red Toyota Hilux ambulance, which arrived the scene minutes after the blast, conveyed the remains of some of the victims, which were covered with clothes.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Muhammad Katsina, confirmed the incident while briefing newsmen in Kano, but said only five people died in the explosion.
Katsina added that eight other persons sustained injuries during the incident, NAN reports
According to him, the incident happened when a Sharon Space Wagon arrived at the market with six passengers and dropped two females at the market.
He said soon after the suspects alighted from the vehicle, the suspects entered the GSM market through different gates and detonated the bombs.
He said the injured ones had since been rushed to the hospital for treatment.
He called on residents to be extra-careful and report any suspected character or movement to security agents for prompt response.
Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday called for increased vigilance among Nigerians to help ward off terror attacks on soft targets around the country.
According to a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the President made the call in his reaction to the latest terror attacks in Yola and Kano.
Shehu said the President condemned the blast in Yola on Tuesday evening and that of Kano on Wednesday.
The statement read in part, “The President extends his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims as well as to the government and people of Adamawa and Kano states.
“President Buhari reassures Nigerians that his administration is very much determined to wipe out Boko Haram in Nigeria and bring all perpetrators of this heinous crime against humanity to justice.
“The President urges all Nigerians not to despair in the face of cowardly terrorist attacks but to have confidence in the ability of Nigeria’s reinvigorated, well-equipped and well-motivated Armed Forces and security agencies to overcome Boko Haram very soon.
“He believes, however, that vigilance is a potential life saver, since security agents cannot be everywhere to deter every planned attack.
“Citizen’s vigilance will therefore help to reduce the frequency of such attacks.”
Meanwhile, death toll in the explosion that rocked a night market around the Tipper Garage in Yola, Adamawa State, on Tuesday has risen to 34, the Red Cross and the National Emergency Management Agency said on Wednesday.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the agencies also put the number of people who were injured in the blast at 80.
The explosion occurred at a fruit and vegetable market beside a main road in the Jimeta area of Yola around 8pm on Tuesday.
“Thirty-four people were killed and 80 have been injured,” said a Red Cross official, who asked not to be named, but the NEMA regional spokesperson, Alhaji Sa’ad Bello, later confirmed the figure.
“The ground near my shop was covered with dead bodies. I helped to load 32 dead bodies into five vehicles,” said an eyewitness, who identified himself as Ahmed and a trader in the market.
Another eyewitness claimed that he saw eight ambulances being used to carry casualties away for treatment.
The Chief Medical Director, Federal Medical Centre, Yola, Dr. Bala Sa’id, said the hospital had received 29 dead bodies from the scene of the Yola explosion.
“As of yesterday (Tuesday) night, we had 29 corpses in the mortuary. We also have 30 people on admission with varying degrees of injuries. I believe by now, some of those injured are stable. We are now about to take our rounds and make some discharges,” Sa’id added.
He said among the dead were six women and eight children.
The Public Relations Officer of the FMC, Mallam Adamu Dodo, said 41 casualties were taken to the hospital, including four dead.
“One of the dead is a woman,” Dodo said.
A police bomb squad was seen at the scene of the attack on Wednesday morning.
Meanwhile, relatives of the victims of the blast besieged the Specialists Hospital, Yola, on Wednesday to claim the remains of their loved ones.
Many of the relatives, who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria, said they came to the mortuary after visiting the hospital emergency wards and could not locate their relatives.
“Since I did not see my brother who was selling sugarcane at the scene of the incident, I have no option but to come to the mortuary,” said one of them, who simply gave his name as Adamu.
Another one, Habila Ibrahim, also said he checked the wards in the specialists’ hospital and the Federal Medical Centre, Yola, before visiting the mortuary to ascertain if his brother was among the dead.
Another worried resident, Hamid Dogo, said the Yola suicide bomber detonated the bomb in front of a female food vendor.
“The woman and her son, Chidinma, died on the spot. I was among the people that helped in the evacuation of the victims,” he said.
“The man, we suspect, was giving bean cake to almajaris and the next thing we heard was a blast,” Dogo added.
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The Kano State Police Command however put the casualty figure at five, which included the two female bombers.
A couple of minutes after the explosion, angry residents gathered the fragmented remains of the female suicide bombers a few metres away from scene of the blast, piled used tyres on the pieces and set them ablaze.
One of our correspondents, who visited the scene of the explosion a few hours after the blast, observed that some parts of human flesh still littered the environment, which had been cordoned off by security operatives.
Pieces of cell phones could also be found in most parts of the market after the blast which occurred at about 3pm.
A man, who claimed to be a brother to one of the victims, identified as Ibrahim, told one of our correspondents amidst tears that he lost two of his relatives while another one was still missing.
Meanwhile, a red Toyota Hilux ambulance, which arrived the scene minutes after the blast, conveyed the remains of some of the victims, which were covered with clothes.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Muhammad Katsina, confirmed the incident while briefing newsmen in Kano, but said only five people died in the explosion.
Katsina added that eight other persons sustained injuries during the incident, NAN reports
According to him, the incident happened when a Sharon Space Wagon arrived at the market with six passengers and dropped two females at the market.
He said soon after the suspects alighted from the vehicle, the suspects entered the GSM market through different gates and detonated the bombs.
He said the injured ones had since been rushed to the hospital for treatment.
He called on residents to be extra-careful and report any suspected character or movement to security agents for prompt response.
Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday called for increased vigilance among Nigerians to help ward off terror attacks on soft targets around the country.
According to a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the President made the call in his reaction to the latest terror attacks in Yola and Kano.
Shehu said the President condemned the blast in Yola on Tuesday evening and that of Kano on Wednesday.
The statement read in part, “The President extends his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims as well as to the government and people of Adamawa and Kano states.
“President Buhari reassures Nigerians that his administration is very much determined to wipe out Boko Haram in Nigeria and bring all perpetrators of this heinous crime against humanity to justice.
“The President urges all Nigerians not to despair in the face of cowardly terrorist attacks but to have confidence in the ability of Nigeria’s reinvigorated, well-equipped and well-motivated Armed Forces and security agencies to overcome Boko Haram very soon.
“He believes, however, that vigilance is a potential life saver, since security agents cannot be everywhere to deter every planned attack.
“Citizen’s vigilance will therefore help to reduce the frequency of such attacks.”
Meanwhile, death toll in the explosion that rocked a night market around the Tipper Garage in Yola, Adamawa State, on Tuesday has risen to 34, the Red Cross and the National Emergency Management Agency said on Wednesday.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the agencies also put the number of people who were injured in the blast at 80.
The explosion occurred at a fruit and vegetable market beside a main road in the Jimeta area of Yola around 8pm on Tuesday.
“Thirty-four people were killed and 80 have been injured,” said a Red Cross official, who asked not to be named, but the NEMA regional spokesperson, Alhaji Sa’ad Bello, later confirmed the figure.
“The ground near my shop was covered with dead bodies. I helped to load 32 dead bodies into five vehicles,” said an eyewitness, who identified himself as Ahmed and a trader in the market.
Another eyewitness claimed that he saw eight ambulances being used to carry casualties away for treatment.
The Chief Medical Director, Federal Medical Centre, Yola, Dr. Bala Sa’id, said the hospital had received 29 dead bodies from the scene of the Yola explosion.
“As of yesterday (Tuesday) night, we had 29 corpses in the mortuary. We also have 30 people on admission with varying degrees of injuries. I believe by now, some of those injured are stable. We are now about to take our rounds and make some discharges,” Sa’id added.
He said among the dead were six women and eight children.
The Public Relations Officer of the FMC, Mallam Adamu Dodo, said 41 casualties were taken to the hospital, including four dead.
“One of the dead is a woman,” Dodo said.
A police bomb squad was seen at the scene of the attack on Wednesday morning.
Meanwhile, relatives of the victims of the blast besieged the Specialists Hospital, Yola, on Wednesday to claim the remains of their loved ones.
Many of the relatives, who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria, said they came to the mortuary after visiting the hospital emergency wards and could not locate their relatives.
“Since I did not see my brother who was selling sugarcane at the scene of the incident, I have no option but to come to the mortuary,” said one of them, who simply gave his name as Adamu.
Another one, Habila Ibrahim, also said he checked the wards in the specialists’ hospital and the Federal Medical Centre, Yola, before visiting the mortuary to ascertain if his brother was among the dead.
Another worried resident, Hamid Dogo, said the Yola suicide bomber detonated the bomb in front of a female food vendor.
“The woman and her son, Chidinma, died on the spot. I was among the people that helped in the evacuation of the victims,” he said.
“The man, we suspect, was giving bean cake to almajaris and the next thing we heard was a blast,” Dogo added.
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