Bomb blast kills 32 people in Nigeria, Boko Haram blamed
A man walks past the scene of a bombing after at least 20 people were killed by a suicide bomber in Maiduguri, northeast Nigeria, on June 22, 2015. More than 30 people were killed on Tuesday, November 17, 2015 when a bomb ripped through packed crowds in Yola, northeast Nigeria. PHOTO |
What you need to know:
Buhari was in Yola recently to decorate soldiers for bravery in the counter-insurgency as well as visit a camp for people displaced by six years of violence that has left at least 17,000 dead.
The blast was the first in Nigeria this month, indicating that the army’s strategy to cut off the Islamists’ supply lines and target their camps was paying off.
Buhari has set his military commanders a deadline of the end of next month to crush the rebels, who have increasingly taken to attacking border areas of neighbouring Chad, Niger and Cameroon.
KADUNA, Wednesday
More than 30 people were killed on Tuesday evening when a bomb ripped through packed crowds in Yola, northeast Nigeria, just days after President Muhammadu Buhari visited declaring that Boko Haram were close to defeat.
The explosion happened at about 8.20pm in Jambutu area of the Adamawa state capital, although it was not immediately clear if it was caused by a suicide bomber or an improvised explosive device.
“So far, we’ve recorded about 32 dead and 80 injured,” Sa’ad Bello, the Yola coordinator for the National Emergency Management Agency said.
The Red Cross and state police gave a slightly lower toll of 31 dead and 72 injured.
BOKO HARAM 'CLOSE TO DEFEAT'
The blast bore all the hallmarks of Boko Haram, which has attacked Yola in recent months.
Buhari was in Yola recently to decorate soldiers for bravery in the counter-insurgency as well as visit a camp for people displaced by six years of violence that has left at least 17,000 dead.
He told troops that he believed Boko Haram “are very close to defeat” and urged soldiers “to remain vigilant, alert and focused to prevent the insurgents from sneaking into our communities”.
Red Cross official Aliyu Maikano and residents said the area targeted was a lorry park which also houses a livestock market, an open-air restaurant and a mosque.
The area was immediately cordoned off but poor power supply meant the rescue effort was conducted in near darkness.
“Victims could be lying all over the place,” Maikano said.
FIRST BLAST IN NOVEMBER
The blast was the first in Nigeria this month, indicating that the army’s strategy to cut off the Islamists’ supply lines and target their camps was paying off.
Buhari has set his military commanders a deadline of the end of next month to crush the rebels, who have increasingly taken to attacking border areas of neighbouring Chad, Niger and Cameroon.
But the Yola explosion also shows the difficulty in completely neutralising the threat, particularly in crowded areas.
On Monday, the army said it had foiled an attack in the capital of Borno state, Maiduguri, as well as having uncovered a bomb-making factory.
Yola had been seen as a relative haven from the bloodshed across the northeast and last year housed hundreds of thousands who fled their homes as the militants advanced into Adawawa state.
The military declared the state “cleared” earlier this year.
PREVIOUS DEADLY ATTACKS
But in October, 27 people were killed and 96 injured in a blast at a mosque in Jambutu, while in September, seven people died and 20 were injured by a bomb left at the camp visited by Buhari last week.
Two suicide bombers blew themselves up at one of Yola’s main markets in June, killing 31.
There have also been multiple raids in the north of the state, near the group’s Sambisa Forest stronghold across the border in Borno.
The blast came as Boko Haram was named in the latest Global Terrorism Index as the most deadly terrorist group in the world.
