Fourteen
persons were killed in a suicide attack on an accommodation housing newly
returned internally displaced persons in Dikwa town, Borno State.
The head of
the Rapid Response Team of the Borno State Emergency Management Agency, Bello
Dambatta, said a female suicide bomber, on Friday night, after detonating an
explosive device on her, caused the death of 14 persons and injuries to 24
others.
Dambatta
said the suicide bomber penetrated a building housing returnees in Dikwa, east
of Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, detonating the explosive leading to
massive casualties.
The BOSEMA
boss added that the suicide bomber sneaked into the building close to the
20-unit housing estate around 8:30 pm and detonated the explosives strapped on
her.
He said, “We
have so far evacuated 38 victims, comprising 14 dead and 24 injured and brought
them to the State Specialists Hospital, Maiduguri.”
A nurse with
the State Specialists Hospital, Ali Ibrahim, who also confirmed the incident,
said, “We received victims of Dikwa bomb blast this morning (Saturday). There
were 14 brought in dead and 24 injured who are presently receiving treatment.”
A youth
volunteer, Babagana Musa, who escorted the victims to Maiduguri from Dikwa,
said communication challenges affected the immediacy of responding to the
distress call and “fear of the unknown,” especially at night, informed the
security operatives’ decision that the victims be taken out in the morning.
Musa said,
“There is no network in Dikwa; that was why we could not communicate on time.”
Mamman Musa,
who was at the Maiduguri hospital to check on the injured, said, “There are no
camps in Dikwa town as almost all returnees are in homes. This incident comes
as a very surprising thing to us.”
Meanwhile,
the Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, Col. Clement Nwachukwu, confirmed
the Dikwa attack to journalists.
He said,
“Yes, there was a suicide attack on Dikwa town and seven people died, while six
were injured.”
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