A female suicide bomber struck at a motor park close to Bayan Tasha market in Damaturu, capital of Yobe state on Saturday, killing seven people.
A security source, who confirmed the attack to TheCable, said that about 30 people also sustained injury during the incident.
“It is possible that the casualty rate increases because some of those who have been hospitalised sustained critical injuries,” he said.
NAN quoted Garba Fika, a medical director at the Sani Abacha general hospital, Damaturu, as giving the number of injured victims as 26.
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“We received a total of 33 victims of bomb blast that occurred an hour ago; all of them sustained various degree of injuries, out of which seven are dead, while seven are under a very critical condition,” he said while briefing Ibrahim Gaidam, governor of the state.
“We might refer those under critical condition to the federal medical centre, Nguru and federal medical centre, Azare in Bauchi state respectively.
“Already, the Yobe state government has signed a memorandum of understanding with these health institutions, in case of emergency of this nature.”
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However, he said that the victims with mild injuries were responding to treatment and would be discharged soon. He assured the governor that the management of the hospital had mobilised all medical personnel needed to ensure that the victims received proper medical attention.
Fika called on residents of Damaturu to donate blood in order to save the lives of the victims, saying that they were in dire need of it.
Responding, Gaidam condemned the incident, describing it as “very unfortunate”. He commiserated with the families of the victims and prayed for the repose of the souls of those who died as a result of the incident.
The governor, who promised to settle the medical bills of all the victims, expressed optimism that insurgency would soon be a thing of the past in the country.
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Gaidam advised people to be security conscious, report any suspicious movement around them, and cooperate with the security agents to enable them discharge their duties effectively.
Saturday’s suicide bombing – added with Wednesday’s Maiduguri attack – marks a resurgence of some sort for Boko Haram attacks, as the sect was forced into a long break from its trademark bomb raids, courtesy of intense military activity in the north-east.
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