…NAF destroys emerging insurgents vehicle workshop***
… As fire guts Yola market
The Police in Maiduguri have confirmed that 12 persons were killed and 48 others wounded in a double suicides bomb attack in Maiduguri on Wednesday.
The Commissioner of Police, Mr Daminian Chukwu who confirmed the incident, stated that a male suicide bomber detonated an explosive device at a crowded market killing himself and 10 other persons.
“One other suicide bomber out of panic detonated explosive and blew himself alone into pieces”, he explained further, adding that the corpses and the wounded persons were evacuated to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital.
The Commissioner called on the people to be vigilant and report suspicious persons in their communities to security agencies.
“People should be vigilant because Boko Haram insurgents have not surrendered,” he warned.
The incident occurred at about 4: 15 p.m. when the bomber detonated an Improvised Explosive Device (IEDs) at Alai Fadawu market of Muna Garage area on the outskirts of Maiduguri.
The incident was the first suicide bomb attack in Maiduguri since the beginning of the year.
Muna Garage has recorded series of suicide bomb attacks coordinated by the Boko Haram insurgents in the past one year.
Also, the state government had reviewed the curfew in the metropolis to be observed between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m.
The curfew is to enable the military to complete the ongoing clearance operation against remnants of the insurgents.
In the meantime, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) has successfully destroyed an emerging insurgents’ vehicle workshop in the Sambisa forest area.
The Director of Public Relations and Information, NAF Headquarters, AVM Olatokunbo Adesanya confirmed this in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja, highlighting that NAF Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) platform had previously discovered that insurgents vehicles were parked in the location.
“Consequently, a NAF RPA was detailed to conduct armed reconnaissance in search of insurgents’ vehicles and terrorists around the location, which was apparently being used as a vehicle workshop.
“The RPA discovered that the insurgents’ motorcycles and vehicles, including their Commander’s vehicle were parked in the targeted area,” he said, adding that several insurgents were also seen moving intermittently within the targeted area.
He added that the subsequent air strike by NAF RPA resulted in the immediate destruction of the vehicles in the targeted location, killing all the insurgents inside.
This, he said, was evident as no survivors were seen scampering from the location after impact.
Meanwhile, the Yola town market was yesterday gutted by fire, destroying goods whose value is yet to be quantified.
Alhaji Adamu Abdullahi, the Adamawa State Chief Fire Officer who confirmed the development however said his men arrived the scene timely and promptly took control of the situation.
“I am at the scene of the incident and can assure you that things are under control. We are about to contain the fire which damage so far is not much,” Abdullahi said.
The Administrative Secretary of Adamawa State Emergency Management Agency (ADSEMA), Mr Hassan Furo, who also confirmed the incident, said that the extent of damage could not be ascertained immediately.
A similar fire outbreak was recorded in the market in 2015, destroying properties estimated at billions of Naira.
