A female suicide bomber believed to be
10 years old on Sunday struck at the Damaturu Central Motor Park,
killing herself and nine other people.
The state Police Command Public
Relations Officer, Toyin Gbadegesin, said 31 others were critically
injured in the blast which occurred at about 12.20pm.
Gbadegesin explained that the bomber
had targeted security personnel on patrol at the park who suspected her
movement and turned her away.
He said, “At about 12.10pm, a
Hijab-wearing female suicide bomber came into the park and went to the
security vehicle there. She was turned back by our men. She then went
to a commercial Volkswagen vehicle that was half-loaded and suddenly,
the bomb exploded
“Ten people died and 31 were
critically injured. The wounded people are at the Gen. Sani Abatcha
Hospital in Damaturu. We have condoned off the area and investigation is
currently ongoing.”
When journalists visited the scene of
the blast at about 3.30pm on Monday, operatives and men of the state
fire service were still battling to put out the fire from the bus.
An eyewitness, Ibrahim Mohammed, said he was the only person close to the scene of the explosion that was not wounded.
“The sound of the explosion was
deafening. I was shaken by it and as I talk to you, I am still hearing
strange sounds. I suspect the bomber could not have been more than 10
years.”
Sunday’s blast is the second targeting a
densely populated area in Damaturu. The first was last June when
nine football fans watching the Brazil 2014 world cup tournament at a
viewing centre were killed by a bomber.
The suicide bomber...
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