The popular Gamboru Market in Maiduguri was on Thursday burnt down shortly after a bomb explosion occurred at the Customs area, killing the lone bomber suspected to be of Boko Haram.
The PUNCH was informed that a lone bomber, who drove in an unmarked car, had attempted to hit a patrol vehicle of the Joint Task Force with a car laden with Improvised Explosives Device when the bomb went off at about 1pm.
Governor Kashim Shettima, who first broke the news in tears while receiving the Northern Governor’s Forum Committee on Reconciliation, Healing and Security, said the incident came amidst discussions on how to end the Boko Haram crisis.
JTF spokesman, Lt Col Sagir Musa, could not confirm the incident when contacted.
Residents said angry soldiers, who stormed the scene of the blast were seen setting fire to all the stalls and commercial building in the area, which led to burning of a filling station and large part of Gamboru market.
A senior army officer said the JTF believed the market provided cover for the attacker.
Eyewitness said a passenger in a commercial vehicle, who was reportedly hit by stray bullet, also died following sporadic gun shots by soldiers. Three people including JTF operatives were reportedly wounded.
Addressing the delegates of northern governors, Shettima said, “As we are talking right now on how to put head together to end this low level insurgency bedevilling us, Gamboru Market about five kilometres away is on fire as a result of an attack.”
Leaflets were reportedly distributed in Maiguguri on Wednesday by suspected members of Boko Harams saying they were not engaged in dialogue with government again.
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Rubbish!
ReplyDeleteWhich kain yeye acting be dis?
Abegi! All na wash.
Weeping may be politically expedient, but the real question still remains, how serious are northern political elite whose conspiracy of silence, when mainly Christians bore the terrible brunt of the BH terrorism, actually emboldened the terrorists, with bringing an end to this orgy of violence which was allowed to get out of hand simply because they believed they could thereby undermine the current President? Having cut their noses to spite their face and thereby brought home ant infested fagots, their complaints now about how many times lizards have chosen to visit them will hardly find a sympathetic ear.
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