1st July, 2024
By: Hamza Suleiman
The Acting Governor of Borno, Alhaji Umar Kadafur , has said that the fight against insurgency and terrorism must continue despite the multiple attacks carried out by suspected female suicide bombers IN Gwoza town of the state on Saturday.
The suicide bombers struck a wedding, a hospital, and a funeral in Gwoza, a town near the border with Cameroon, leaving at least 18 people dead and many others injured.
While vising the victims of the suicide bomb blast in Gwoza, the Acting governor of Borno State noted that the perpetrators of the act took advantage of the laxity of vigilance by the people following the relative peace achieved in the state.
The acting governor appealed to the people to be more vigilant and report any suspicious movement or persons they notice in their area to security personnel so as to avoid similar occurrence of the incident.
Kadafur was accompanied by Sen. Ali Ndume, Ahmadu Jaha, Member Representing Damboa, Gwoza and Chibok Federal Constituency, and other government officials, visited the State Specialist Hospital where the injured victims are receiving treatment.
He announced that the state government has settled the medical bills of the victims and is ensuring they receive adequate medical attention.
Kadafur said that 42 victims were admitted to the hospital. He said that two people lost their lives while 16 people have been discharged.
He said 24 were currently receiving treatment in the hospital.
The Director-General of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Barkindo Saidu, said he witnessed the first blast.
“In my presence, at about 3 pm, the first bomb blast in Gwoza occurred, detonated by a female suicide bomber during the marriage ceremony celebration,” he wrote in a situation report later in the day.
“It affected more than 30 persons with various levels of injuries and instant death. Some minutes later, another blast occurred around General Hospital.”
The wedding was held at Tashan Mararaba near the Fire Service in Gwoza town.
President Bola Tinubu, in a statement on Sunday by the Presidency, said his administration would redouble its efforts “to ensure that those who trouble the nation, dispatching precious lives, and disrupting law and order are completely removed.”.
(NAN)
