More than 50 people, including 16 members of the Vigilante
outfit, also known as Civilian JTF, were killed, yesterday when a Peugeot 505
saloon car conveying charcoal and wired with Improvised Explosive Devices,
IEDs, exploded in the busy Monday Market in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.
About 68 others were seriously injured.
A conflicting report from residents and sources, however,
said 20 people including Civilian JTF members died in the blast, while more
than 60 others sustained serious injuries. Other sources claimed that the
number of those who died could be higher than 40 or 50 as many among the
injured died before getting to Umaru Shehu and State Specialist
Hospitals.BORNO-MARKET-BLAST
The explosion was said to have occurred at about 7 am at the
Elkanemi Round -About, in the Monday Market, which is about 40 metres away from
the office of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) in Maiduguri.
Mallam Umaru Jubrin, a wheel barrow pusher at the market, who
also sustained an injury said: “The IEDs were concealed under bags of charcoal
in a Peugeot 505 saloon car, which was parked by a suspected Boko Haram member
in the busy area. Some people, who noticed the vehicle parked and abandoned in
the area were suspicious and decided to alert some Civilian JTF men.
Unfortunately, when about 20 of the Civilian JTF men approached the vehicle, it
exploded, leaving about 16 of them dead as well as 30 innocent civilians. 68
people, including the Civilian JTF men were also seriously injured in the blast
and were all rushed to various hospitals in Maiduguri for treatment.
“The people, who parked the vehicle knew that the area was a
busy place for all kinds of traders as well as people who pass through the
place on their way to their offices.”
Traders and workers who witnessed the blast said many people
were killed, while several vehicles went up in flames.
Another trader Mallam Hussaini Sani said: “We were here very
early in the morning and waited for the market to open. While waiting, we were
discussing and all of a sudden we heard an explosion. We ran towards the area
and saw many people dead on the ground before the security men came and pursued
everybody away. But so many people died in the blast.”
Another eye witness, who did not want his name mentioned in
print said that most of the people killed were his friends. According to him,
“the owner of the vehicle parked here (pointing at the place). He later
alighted from the vehicle and disappeared into the crowd. When we realized that
the vehicle was parked wrongly, we were suspicious and began to look for the
owner but to no avail; we, therefore, asked some of us to volunteer and push it
to a normal parking space along the road. When we realized that the owner had
locked the two doors and wound up the glass we were left with no option than to
leave it where it was. When I left the place and was about 200 metres away, I
heard an explosion apparently from the vehicle which scattered everywhere with
mangled bodies of human beings”.
He said it was only God that saved many of them, adding that
the explosion happened at the time when the market was not fully open and
business was yet to commence.
The explosion also destroyed shops, vehicles many tricycles
and tubers of yam, groundnuts, fruits. other items destroyed were petty food
items usually displayed along the main road by aged women, fresh fish sellers
and yam dealers popularly known as Yandoya in Hausa.
When Vanguard visited one of the hospitals where the victims
were conveyed to, especially the State Specialists Hospital, top management
staff of the hospital, who pleaded anonymity said both government and security
operatives had warned them not to give out information particularly to the
press over the incident.
“We are not authorized to speak on the incident, but so many
people lost their lives while a lot more were wounded”.
The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Gideon Jibril told
Vanguard on phone in Maiduguri: “Our officers and men are already at the scene
of the explosion as evacuation of corpses is ongoing as such, I don’t have
details yet until our men are back with detailed report.”
However, another security source, who was at the scene said
the situation was pathetic as security operatives have cordoned off the area to
evacuate corpses and clear the area before people are allowed into busy areas
of Maiduguri city centre.
Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima has since visited the
scene of the explosion after leaving the State Specialist Hospital, Umaru Shehu
General Hospital in Bulumkutu, where most of the victims were taken to.
He said government will be responsible for all the medical
bills of the victims, while the families of those who lost their loved ones or
relatives, particularly the Civilian JTF will be given N1 million each.
He, however, condemned the perpetrators of the heinous act,
describing it as anti-Islamic, barbaric and wickedness against humanity.
He wondered why “in the period of Ramadan, which is a holy
month for prayers and fasting and total submission to Allah, some miscreants
should use the period to cause havoc to lives and property, which is very
unfortunate”.
Although, the Chairman of the Civilian JTF attached to Sector
3, Mallam Iliya Saidu while briefing Governor Kashim Shettima said, his men
were able to identify nine of their members, who died in the blast, but the
Chairman of Monday Market Traders Association, Alhaji Bukar Jere, while giving
the breakdown of the number of casualty to the Governor insisted that 16
Civilian JTF men were among the dozens of people killed.
Briefing, Governor Shettima, the Manager Maiduguri Monday
market said: “16 civilian JTF members were among those killed in the blast,
while 68 sustained serious injuries”.
He said four vehicles and four tricycles, popularly called ‘
KEKE NAPEP’ were burnt in the blast, adding that the incident also affected 49
shops and Wares displayed by the petty traders on the road side.
Vanguard Reports
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