11 people were confirmed dead,
with 66 others critically injured, as a female suicide bomber detonated an
improvised explosive device at the GSM Market in Potiskum, Yobe State, on
Sunday.
Those injured are at emergency
unit of General Hospital, Potiskum.
A nurse at the hospital told the
Nigerian Tribune that the injured were in critical conditions and needed
immediate attention.
According to an eyewitness, the
explosion would have killed many, but some people had sighted the woman and
escaped before she could detonate the bomb.
A trader and GSM repairer, Mallam
Alkali Musa, told the Nigerian Tribune that “it was a lucky day for me. I would
have been among the dead as it happened near my shed. I went to get change for
a customer, before I could return, the customer had been reduced to pieces. I
escaped by sheer luck.”
Alkali said the woman, before
detonating the bomb, was shouting “Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar,” adding that as
a result, people scampered for safety in different directions.
“Before I could ask what was
happening, the explosion went off and I found myself on the ground, scampering
for safety. It was sad that the person I went to get change for was killed,” he
added.
Attempt to contact the state
Police Commissioner, Markus Danladi, failed, as his line was busy as of the
time of filing this report.
However, a police source told the
Nigerian Tribune that they evacuated 86 people, both dead and injured, to the
General Hospital.
“We just evacuated, we did not
separate the injured from the dead, but we took all, 86 in number, to the
emergency ward where they are being separated and the injured receiving medical
attention,” he added.
Tags
Crime