At least 24 people have been confirmed dead and several others injured following a suicide bomb attack on a food joint in Konduga Local Government Area of Borno State on Friday night.
The attack, which occurred around 10pm, was reportedly carried out by a female suicide bomber who infiltrated a crowded local eatery before detonating an improvised explosive device (IED), witnesses and security sources confirmed.
The Borno State Police Command, through its Public Relations Officer, ASP Nahum Daso, confirmed the incident, stating that investigation was ongoing to determine the exact number of casualties.
“Yesterday, around 22:00 hours in Konduga, someone invaded a gathering with a bomb, killing over 10 persons,” Daso said. “We have deployed our EOD experts, together with the military and other security agencies, to the area. Investigation is ongoing to ascertain the full details.”
However, counterinsurgency expert, Zagazola Makama, offered a more devastating account, disclosing that 24 persons, including women and children, lost their lives in the attack, while dozens more sustained varying degrees of injuries.
“The Police sources confirmed that the explosion fatally wounded 24 individuals. The body of the suspected female suicide bomber was torn apart by the blast, with only her head recovered from the scene,” Makama stated.
He added that a joint team of security operatives, including the military, Police Explosive Ordnance Disposal Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (EOD-CBRN) unit, Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), and local hunters, were immediately deployed to the scene to cordon off the area and conduct a sweep for secondary devices. No additional explosives were found.
The injured victims were promptly evacuated to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH), where they are currently receiving medical attention, while the corpses of the deceased have been deposited at the hospital’s morgue.
Medical personnel on duty at UMTH confirmed the deaths and have begun profiling the victims in preparation for the release of their bodies to their respective families for burial in line with Islamic rites.
Suicide bombing, which was a hallmark of Boko Haram’s terror strategy in the early years of the insurgency, has seen a resurgence in recent times, raising fresh concerns about renewed threats to civilian populations in the North-East.
Security agencies have urged residents to remain vigilant and report suspicious movements as efforts intensify to track down those behind the renewed wave of terror.
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