Bomb fails to hit police target

The Police Commissioner in Adamawa state, northeast Nigeria, Mr John Abakasanga, on Wednesday confirmed that a blast occurred in Mubi town, but missed its target: the policemen on patrol.

Abakasanga said an Improvised Explosives Device (IED) thrown at a police patrol team went off at Kasuwan Kuturu (market) along Ahmadu Bello Way.

He, however, said that there was no casualty as the IED did not hit its target.

He said no arrest had been made yet and that the affected area had been cordoned off for proper investigation and possible arrest. The commissioner said apart from the affected area there was calm in other parts of the town with people going about their normal activities.

A resident of Mubi, who simply identified himself as Baba, said the device went off along Ahmadu Bello Way around a popular market known as Kasuwan Kuturu.

“And you know today is market day with beehives of activities that normally cause crowd from the market to spiral up to the main road resulting in grid lock along Ahmadu Bello way,” Baba said.

The blast came three weeks after a similar one happened in Kabang area of the town during which 16 people died and several others sustained injuries.

Adamawa is one of the three states under emergency rule, for more than a year, to stem insurgency by Boko Haram.