A bomb attack on a packed market in northeastern Nigeria bearing the hallmarks of Boko Haram killed around 50 people on Tuesday, sources said.
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The blast occurred early Tuesday afternoon at a weekly market in the town of Sabon Gari.
One eyewitness said the market was “littered with all sorts of articles”, describing the mobile phone section of the marketplace as particularly grisly, with “many dead and pieces of flesh and blood splattered all over”.
‘It was concealed in a knapsack used for spraying herbicides. It was smuggled into the market and apparently abandoned… His claims that Boko Haram are facing imminent defeat will be questioned by some, however, given the carnage the group has wreaked in recent days across its strongholds in north-east Nigeria.
Bernard Okalia Bilai, governor of south western Cameroon, said that although the attacks were in the north, the government of Cameroon has increased checks all over the country.
Alongside a smattering of towns, Boko Haram is believed to occupy a large stretch of the Mandara Mountains along the Nigeria-Cameroon border, where new recruits are reportedly being trained on how to use weapons.
Buhari visited Benin last week, which said it will contribute 800 troops to a regional military force combating Boko Haram. We will continue to support Nigeria’s efforts to bring those responsible for the attack, as well as previous attacks, to justice.
Defence spokesman Colonel Rabe Abubakar yesterday told Daily Trust that whether there is a new Boko Haram leader or not, would not deter the military in its counter terrorism operations. He said no civilian casualties were reported.
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About 24,000 people were stopped from leaving Nigeria in the 15 months to March because of suspicion they could become involved in jihadi activities, prostitution or slavery, the country’s immigration agency has said.
