Scores of people were feared dead yesterday in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, following an explosion at 8.58am at London Ciki.
Musa Baba, a resident, said it was “a suicide attempt” on one of the Joint Task Force (JTF) outposts at Tashar Bala area of London Ciki.
He said: “We saw a man in a saloon car heading towards the JTF men guarding the area. Few minutes after he passed, we heard a devastating sound. I was told that other explosives that did not go off were found in the car.”
He said the suspected suicide bomber died on the spot and shrapnel hit many other people.
“The blast was deafening… It was a massive blast that confused all of us living in the area,” Baba said. “Other JTF operatives soon mobilised to the scene and cordoned off everywhere. I saw some houses ablaze but I cannot tell you how they caught fire.”
JTF spokesman Lt.-Col. Hassan Mohammed said he would soon address reporters on the incident.
A source at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH), who spoke in confidence, said he saw some bodies being taken to the hospital’s mortuary.
“The bodies were taken from the site of the blast,” the source said.
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Scores feared killed in Borno explosion