All Africa news
written by Hamza Idris, Yahaya Ibrahim and Ibrahim Sawab
Wednesday January 15, 2014
Maiduguri — At least 30 people were killed and over 50 others sustained injuries yesterday when a car bomb exploded and rammed into other vehicles in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.
It was the deadliest attack in Maiduguri metropolis since March last year and the Army said it was carried out by Boko Haram militants.
Residents and hospital sources said more than 30 people were killed and police have confirmed 17 deaths but said they were still counting the casualties.
Witnesses said more than 20 vehicles and five auto-rickshaws (popularly called Keke NAPEP) were burnt to ashes by the rampaging flame that emanated from the blast which occurred at the part of the metropolis known as GSM Village.
The fire has also consumed many roadside tents and shops, mostly belonging to youths who sell recharge cards and handset accessories.
Our correspondents gathered that many worshippers who congregated at a nearby mosque observing the Zuhr prayers and others sitting on slabs conducting ablution were killed.
A police traffic warder, women selling bean cake, many motorists and a popular suya meat seller known as Malam Amadu Faragai and four of his staff, who were all close to the GSM Village, have lost their lives.
Hospital sources said over 30 dead bodies were deposited at the state Specialists Hospital.
One of the rescue workers, who does not want to be named, said they recovered about 33 bodies. "Many people could not be recognised," he added.
At the scene of the blast, a big crater, enough to swallow a motorcycle, was created at the scene even as body parts, valuables and charred remains of vehicles were seen.
Many children and women were caught in the blast, witnesses said.
The last bomb blast in the heart of Maiduguri city was witnessed in March 2013 at One Way, along Monday Market, though there were incidences in barracks and markets at the outskirts of the city.
'Thunderous bang'
A journalist, who was not far from the scene of the incident, said it was a car bomb that exploded very close to a military outpost and the GSM Village.
"I and my friend, Michael, would have died if not for the fact that we were still inside my car, trying to park near the U-Turn of the BRTV, not far from the GSM Village where I intended to go and collect my phone which I took for repairs," Abdulkareem Haruna, a reporter of one of the national dailies, said.
"I strongly feel it was a suicide mission because the explosion occurred in a moving car, loaded with explosives in a heavy traffic heading somewhere. It is sad and a calamity.
"As soon as the vehicle exploded, there was pandemonium but I managed to escape with my car. Few seconds after, there was conflagration and many vehicles went in flame and you can see dead bodies all over. The suicide bomber actually targeted peak hour," he added.
Abdul Mudallabi, a native of Jigawa State who sells sugarcane in Maiduguri, said he narrowly escaped death because he was at the scene.
"I was at the Jagwal (GSM Market) pushing my wheelbarrow, which was loaded with sugarcane, when I heard a thunderous bang that rattled me. Shrapnel hit my hand and lied flat on the ground. I saw many bodies on the ground, some lifeless and some wailing.
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