Boko Haram strikes again after twin bomb explosions

 

As rescue operations at the scene of Maiduguri’s twin bomb blasts progressed on Saturday, another set of Boko Haram insurgents wreaked havoc in  Mainok,  a village about 50 kilometres   from Maiduguri, Borno State.

The insurgents did not only sack the entire village, they killed no fewer than 39 residents.

The British Broadcasting Corporation reported that  buildings in  the village  were still on fire while bodies were lying in front of a  mosque waiting to be buried as of Sunday morning.

An eyewitness,who did not give his name,    said,  “They (insurgents) started shooting everywhere, they started burning all the houses in the village.

“I don’t think that there is any house that is standing in the village and they have killed at least 39 people  .

“These people have guns – AK47, RPGs and so on;  they can come and attack anybody and kill, including women and children, they kill everybody that can see them.”

A civil servant, Mustapha Musa, also   told journalists that he drove through Mainok on Sunday  and  saw the whole  community  in ruins.

He said,  “We were in a sober mood over the incident in Maiduguri when we started hearing gunshots and thereafter, they went ahead, hurling explosives on houses. This (Sunday) morning, we counted 39 bodies.

“As of  10am today(Sunday), many buildings were still in flames. Almost all the village with hundred of houses have been destroyed by the rampaging ins0surgents.

“I saw dead bodies in front of the Central Mosque of the village waiting to be buried. The primary school in the village has been burnt.   Some vehicles and shops were also burnt.”

But  a  senior officer of the State Security Service, who  confirmed the incident, said,

“Mainok was attacked and over 30 people were killed.”

Earlier two bombs exploded in a densely populated area of Maiduguri, leaving some persons still trapped in the rubble of a collapsed building.

Our correspondents reported that the death toll had risen from 35 to 52.

It was also learnt on Sunday that seven of the eight    suicide bombers that detonated their bombs at the venue of  a marriage ceremony in Ajilari- Bintu Sugar, died in the attacks.

Thirty of the blast victims  were said to have  died  on the spot.

As rescuers were busy trying to evacuate the dead and  save the injured, the second blast took place, killing  20 others.

A leader of the civilian JTF in Sector 6, Umaru Ahmed, said,  “I am part of the team that evacuated 52 bodies from the debris. They were corpses of male and female.Many of them were children and elderly.”

He said the 52 bodies were taken to the mortuary of the  state specialist  hospital while     30 injured persons were   moved  to  the Umaru Shehu Ultra-modern Hospital  for  treatment.

Ahmed said the bombs were planted in two vans loaded with firewood.

He said the suicide bombers numbering seven pretended as if they were  buying  food from   vendors   and therefore drew no suspicion.

Ahmed  added that  seven of the bombers  died in the explosions while one was arrested and   handed over to soldiers.

The  state Police Commissioner, Lawal Tanko, had  earlier  told the Agence France Presse, that his men counted 35 bodies at the scene of the  blasts.

“We are still counting. So far we have counted 35 bodies. Our men are still working with rescue workers at the scene,”  Tanko  said.

A resident, who also spoke with the AFP  said he believed that as many as 50 people  were  killed and dozens of houses razed in the blasts.

He said, “I assisted in pulling dead bodies from the rubble of destroyed homes after the attack last(Saturday) night.

“We took 50 bodies to the Sani Abacha Specialist Hospital with the help of soldiers and the police.

“The bodies included men, women and children. There is so much panic in the area which is mostly deserted. Most people have fled their homes.”

Another witness, Mallam Buba, also told the AFP that the blasts happened when most residents were preparing for evening prayers and others were   busy watching football  in a video hall.

He said, “Nobody can say exactly how it happened now. The first blast occurred just about 15 minutes before the second one.

“Only a few people were injured by the first blast but while people were trying to rescue the victims of the first blast, the second one took place killing many people also.”