Five Killed in Borno Vegetable Market Attack

Five Killed in Borno Vegetable Market Attack

Not less than five persons were killed and several others injured in a suicide bomb attack at a crowded earlier morning grocery market in Maiduguri today, a member of the youth vigilance group journalists on phone.

The attack which temporarily halted sales at the market and sent jitters to the entire town happened at 6:30 am when some were still in bed.

The member of the youth vigilance group who spoke anonymously to our correspondent on phone, said the bomb was detonated by a woman who arrived the market pretending as if she was one of those that come early to buy vegetables.

He said the woman arrived in a tricycle at about 6:30 a.m at Gamboru market where a wholesale trading of fresh vegetables are made.

He said that the woman who seeing that she might perhaps be caught by the security at the entrance to the market quickly detonated the bomb strapped on her at the tricycles park where "passengers are dropped and picked".

According to him, "The blast occurred near the entrance of Gamboru Market where operatives of commercial tricycles park to pick passengers that go to buy different kinds of fresh vegetables brought in by local farmers for onward sales in their different stalls. 

"The woman had come on a tricycle like every other person who come very early in the morning to make purchases at the market does."

He said: "Immediately the woman arrived the market and seeing that she may have to undergo security screening before allowed to go into the market, she detonated the explosives on her, this left her dead with the driver and three others and injured several other people."

He added that the trading at the market was temporarily halted as the corpses have to be evacuated and the injured had to be taken to hospital to be treated.

When called on his mobile for confirmation of the incident, the information officer of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Northeast zonal office in Maiduguri, AbdulKadir Ibrahim said there was an explosion at the market, but pleaded that journalists may have to wait a little longer to get the casualty figure.