Dr. Barkindo Saidu, the Director-General of Borno State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), has confirmed a series of explosions in Gwoza, raising the death toll to 18.
In a situation report obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Saidu revealed that the fatalities included adult males, females, and children.
The first explosion was carried out by a suicide bomber at a wedding ceremony. The second occurred at the funeral service for the initial victims when another female suicide bomber attacked the congregation.
“19 people who were seriously injured have been transported to Maiduguri in four ambulances, while 23 others are awaiting military escort at the Medical Regimental Services (MRS) Clinic,” Saidu reported.
Previously, Borno State Commissioner of Police, Yusuf Lawal, had confirmed six deaths and 15 injuries from a female suicide bomber. However, the updated count from SEMA now stands at 18 deaths.
NAN reports that the attack at Gwoza’s busy Marrarraban motor park involved a suicide bomber detonating an Improvised Explosive Device (IED), targeting a wedding ceremony. An eyewitness, Buba, described how the explosion turned a day of joy into mourning. Another witness, Muhammed Kasim, recounted the chaotic scene, saying, “We heard a very loud explosion, followed by dust, and then saw bodies on the ground.”
Security analyst and counter-insurgency expert Zagazola Makama explained that the bomber, a young woman in her early twenties, detonated her device in the middle of the gathering, causing significant devastation.
Borno State has experienced multiple suicide bombings recently. On March 18, 2024, two people were injured when a suspected suicide bomber detonated an IED near a mosque in Biu Local Government Area during night prayers. In another incident on April 17, 2024, an IED planted by suspected ISWAP terrorists killed at least 10 people and injured 20 others when a commercial vehicle drove over the device.
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