Female suicide bomber, nine others killed in Yobe blast

By YUSUF MOHAMMED

A teenage female suicide bomber hit a market in Yobe State yesterday, killing herself and nine others.

23 people were also seriously wounded in the incident, eyewitnesses said.

The bomber targeted the grains section of the Wagir Market in Gujba Local Government Area of the state and detonated the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) hidden in her body, killing herself along with other innocent traders at about 11:00a.m on Tuesday.

“She came and entered the grains market (Kasuwan Hatse) in the Wagir Market where people gathered to purchase food stuff for the fasting and detonated the bomb in the middle of plenty people,” Mustapha Abdullahi who survived the attack disclosed at the Specialist Hospital, Damaturu.

Shettima Adamu, one of the commercial drivers that brought the victims to hospital, said he counted more than 10 people dead bodies at the scene of the attack.

“I was close to the scene when it all happened. I heard the terrible sound and got confused. We rushed to the scene. So many dead people were scattered all over the place including the suicide bomber. She is a very small girl of about 12 years. I started counting the dead bodies, but I couldn’t continue.”

“But I counted over 10 bodies before I stopped. We carried some people to the hospital from the scene of the attack. We brought 23 people here that were injured,” he told journalists.

The Medical Director of Sani Abacha Specialist Hospital, Garba Fika, confirmed that 26 injured victims were brought to the hospital.

He said four victims would be referred to the Federal Medical Centre, Nguru, for proper medical attention.