Bomb rips through motor park in Maiduguri

A bomb explosion has occurred in Gamboru market by Customs bridge in Maiduguri, Borno state capital early this morning.

Mr. Isuku Victor, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), in a statement yesterday said a female suicide bomber inside a tricycle detonated a hidden IED, after boarding the vehicle to an unknown destination in the metropolis.

Trader Bukar Shettima said the explosion lifted him off his feet and threw him to the ground. I lost my balance due to the impact of the reverberating blast; but thank God I was not too close.

A police bomb expert said the bomber was a man, not a woman as had been originally described by witnesses. It was coming from the Gamboru market…

He said he helped collect seven bodies.

Damaturu was also the scene of a triple suicide bombing on July 18 when three girls blew themselves up killing at least 13 people as residents prepared for the Eid festival marking the end of Ramadan.

It comes a day after the defense ministry appointed Major General Iliyasu Isah Abbah to command an 8,700-strong regional army to curb the Islamic uprising that has spilled across Nigeria’s borders. We found six persons were killed, two of the corpses mangled and beyond recognition. Deployment has been delayed by a lack of funds. Eight people were killed while 11 others sustained injuries.

However, The Northeast zonal coordinator of NEMA, Mohammed Kanar, confirmed that six persons were killed following the attack by the alleged Boko Haram sect member. Two soldiers had died and two were injured, a military spokesman said.