Bomb blasts rock Maiduguri 24 hours after attack on Governor Zulum's convoy

There have been at least two bomb blasts within Maiduguri, the Borno state capital. The blasts, which occurred in Custom Area, a densely populated part of the town, reportedly occurred within 10 minutes of each other. The first blast occurred at Gunge, a residential area, around 6pm, and the other blast happened around a place where cars are sold in the state capital. The bomb blasts occurred barely 24 hours after the convoy of the Borno state governor, Professor Babagana Zulum, was attacked in Kukawa local government area of the state.

It is still unclear if Boko Haram insurgents are behind the bomb blasts in which at least five people have been reported dead, and 16 others sustained injuries..

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The Commissioner of Police, Mr Mohammed Aliyu, confirmed the attack and the casualty figure to Channels Television. However, he stated that he was unsure what explosive was used for the attack, and only a bomb specialist could explain. The General Officer Commanding (GOC) 7 Division of the Nigerian Army, Brigadier General Khalifa Ibrahim, has visited the scenes of the blasts for an on-the-spot assessment.

While the explosives were not person-borne, the first reportedly landed at a shop in the commercial area, killing a furniture maker and his son. Another explosive was also reported to have landed in a house at Gwange area while a child and a goat were killed. Two other people were struck in a blast at the third location, bringing the number of those killed to five. Officials of the Borno State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) have evacuated the bodies of the victims from the scenes of the blasts.

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Over the years, members of the Boko Haram terrorist group and Islamic State’s West Africa Province have carried out such attacks in the state, killing thousands of people in the process. The terrorist groups have continued to operate in different parts of the North-East, although in recent times, they have come under intense airstrikes from the Air Task Force of Operation Lafiya Dole. The onslaught against the insurgents by military personnel has forced them to the fringes of the Sambisa forest and the Lake Chad area in the region.

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The bomb blasts in Maiduguri came barely a day after the convoy of the Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, was attacked in Baga. Following a fierce gun battle, the governor has been confronting the Nigerian Army over the incident.

He said he was disappointed with the inability of the military to rid Baga and environs of insurgents, accusing the Nigerian Army of sabotaging the government’s counter-terrorism and rebuilding efforts.

The governor who seemed convinced, alleged that the attack was carried out by the military in an attempt to dissuade him from gaining entrance into the fishing town.

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