8 Persons Killed, Others Injured As Female Bomber Hits IDP Centre In Maiduguri

No fewer than eight persons, mostly women, were killed, Sunday morning, and another eight were injured as a female suicide bomber rocked a screening centre for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital. Three members of the local youth vigilante group who were helping in the screening exercise were also said to be among those killed.


The chairman of the State Emergency Agency (SEMA), Engineer Ahmed Satomi, who disclosed this, said the incident occurred around Muna garage at about 11am during the screening of IDPs from Dikwa area of the state, who fled into the state capital.

The Muna garage is located at the entrance to Maiduguri where those entering the city are always screened.

Satomi said: “Since the IDPs were coming voluntarily into the town, it was decided that they had to be screened at the entrance into the town to avoid the insurgents mingling with them.

“Those that are successfully screened would be admitted into one of the IDPs camps established within Maiduguri. But it was unfortunate that just when the screening was on, one woman with explosive devices strapped on her, rammed into others causing the death of six women, including herself with six others injured.”

Satomi, who also disclosed that two men suspected to be Boko Haram members were arrested during the screening , said the “two are being held by security agencies for further screening and perhaps detention.”

Confirming the incident, the state police commissioner, Mr. Aderemi Opadokun, said “at about 1040 hrs of Sunday, 22/11/15, a suspected female suicide bomber while approaching Mafa checkpoint on foot at Galimari village detonated IED strapped to her body in the midst of a crowd trying to enter Maiduguri. The explosion killed eight persons, including the bomber, eight others were injured.

“The scene of the incident was visited, the victims and corpses (have been) conveyed to (the ) hospital and investigation in progress and the area is now safe.”

Source: THE WILL