•Sect kills 23 in Chadian capital
Ten people were killed yesterday in twin suicide bombings in Potiskum, Yobe State’s commercial capital.
The attacks targeted two locations at Dorowa and a Vigilante Office on Nangare/ Gashua Road.
A hospital source said on telephone that 10 people were confirmed dead at the Potiskum General Hospital. Five badly injured people were on admission.
Abdullahi Shehu , a local vigilante who survived the attack, said: ”The suicide bomber sneaked into our office complex while we were holding a meeting. He came, sat down and before anybody could notice his presence, he triggered off his explosive-ridden body killing seven members of the group, including leaders.”
A hospital source from the General Hospital Potiskum, who was part of the rescue team, added : “We have 10 dead people at the Accident and Emergency Ward as I talk to you now. There are five people on admission, two female and three male. Eight men and two women died.”
Sarki Abdullahi who sells recharge cards close to the Vigilante office described the sound of the explosion as “frightening”, saying it threw them off their feet.
”I heard a loud sound but I did not know where it came from. It shook the whole of the area. Everyone was confused. Some people even fell to the ground; goods were scattered,” Abdullahi said.
A second blast was outside a tavern and brothel, the French News Agency, AFP said.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility but Potiskum has been hit repeatedly by Boko Haram in its six-year insurgency.
Explaining the first blast further, a witness told AFP: “We suspected he was a thief and then when he couldn’t explain how he came about the things that were found on him, we took him to our office for interrogation.”
“But we didn’t know he had explosives on him. He detonated the explosives and we lost eight men, including our commander,” said the vigilante, who asked not to be named for his own safety.
A police source in Potiskum said: “We took eight dead bodies of the vigilante men to the hospital and the remains of the suicide bomber,” he said.
The second blast happened moments later in the Dorawa, Potiskum at an open air tavern and brothel that had previously been hit by the Islamists.
The police source said a man suspected to be a bomber was chased by a mob, but he set off his explosives before he was caught.
“Two people have been confirmed dead,” he added.
Boko Haram are keen to prove they are not a spent force despite a four-nation military offensive that has run them out of captured towns and villages since February.
The use of improvised explosive devices and suicide bombings has increased since May 29, when President Muhammadu Buhari took office vowing to crush the militants.
At least 162 people have been killed in some 17 separate attacks in that period, according to AFP reporting.
Yobe Police spokesman Toyin Gbadegeshin confirmed the explosions to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
Gbadegeshin said one of the bombers targeted the vigilante office, killing seven persons. Two others died in the second explosion, which occurred at Dorowa Ward in the town.
“At about 12.25hrs, two suicide bombers struck at Dorowa at the vigilante office and near Lara filling station, killing Ado Kwamanda and six of his men.”
“Two people, including the bomber, died in the second attack,” he said.
NAN recalls that suspected insurgents attacked Babangida, headquarters of Tarmuwa Local Government Area on Sunday, looted food stuff and burnt public and private structures, including stores.
