The Borno State Police Command has revealed that 25 persons died in the Easter Sunday suicide attack on Maiduguri, the state capital.
The Borno State Police Commissioner,
Damian Chukwu, who briefed journalists on the incident on Monday, said
the high number of casualties happened because the insurgents attacked a
wedding ceremony, on the outskirts of Maiduguri.
He said 18 persons died on the spot as five male suicide bombers detonated their IEDs in the midst of people at the wedding.
Chukwu said the five suicide bombers
were mangled beyond recognition and their remains were packed alongside
18 other corpses to the mortuary.
He said later on Monday two other persons died among the 86 persons injured as a result of the multiple explosions.
The police boss said, “On April 1, 2018
at about 2020 hours, Boko Haram terrorists in an attempt to infiltrate
Maiduguri through Bale Kura, Bale Shuwari, Jamine and Alikaramti
villages in the Jere Local Government Area on the outskirts of Maiduguri
township detonated IEDs.
“They were promptly repelled by the
military and police reinforcements. In the process, about 84 persons
were injured while 20 persons were killed in the attack.”
He added that another five mutilated
corpses of the male suicide bombers were discovered, while two
undetonated suicide vests were recovered and rendered safe by the Police
EOD unit.
Chukwu said policemen had been mobilised to the scenes of the attacks to sanitise the areas and return normalcy.
He, however, lamented that the attack would have been truncated had the residents alerted security operatives to the threat.
He said, “People should be able to
apprehend anybody they feel is a security threat, they can also inform
the security agents when they see any strange face or anything they
think may threaten the security of their area.”
Meanwhile, Governor Kashim Shettima of
Borno State, on Monday described the Boko Haram insurgents’ Sunday night
attack as “sad and inhumane.”
Shetiima told newsmen when he visited
the over 80 victims of the attack receiving treatment at the Specialist
Hospital, Maiduguri that the attack indicated high level of atrocities
committed by the insurgents.
“It is very sad, no sensible human being
would commit such a level of atrocity but this is a war between light
and darkness, and in the fullness of time, truth shall triumph over
falsehood.
“We have repeatedly said they have been
sufficiently decimated and these decimated monsters bask in the oxygen
of publicity. They are targeting soft targets, senselessly and
criminally opening fire on innocent souls.
“Yesterday (Sunday), we witnessed that
very sad episode, we will continue to intensify our efforts to safeguard
life and property, and we are talking with security agencies that are
doing their utmost best to secure the state.
“Appreciable progress has been made but
such hiccups are inevitable. I will visit the communities to see what
measures need to be put in place to forestall a future occurrence,” he
said.
Shettima assured the people that the
state government would provide free treatment to the victims and provide
necessary support during their period of recuperation.
The governor also condoled with the families of those who lost their lives in the attack.
No comments:
Post a Comment