A 10-year-old female suicide bomber has killed 19 persons in a market in Damaturu, the Yobe State capital, on Sunday.
The state governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Geidam, decried the attack in a statement on Sunday.
A statement by the Yobe State’s Director of Press, Abdullahi Bego, quoted the governor as condemning the attack.
The statement said, “The governor has been briefed about the horrific bomb attack in a market in Damaturu today, in which 19 people were killed and many others injured.
“This is another sad day in our state in which innocent people were the targets of blood-thirsty terrorists.
“Governor Geidam’s thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims and those who sustained injuries. The governor has condemned the attack as callous, barbaric and unjustifiable.
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“The governor has called on security agencies in the state to step up their surveillance even as he enjoined the people to remain vigilant about happenings in their areas, and report any suspicious persons or movements to the police.”
But the police gave the casualty figure at 15 deaths and 47 injured.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Toyin Gbadegesin, who told journalists that the attack was carried out by a female suicide bomber, said 15 persons were killed in the attack.
He said the minor detonated an Improvised Explosive Device at the main entrance of the market at about 9.30am on Sunday.
Gbadegesin said that 15 persons were killed while 47 others have been receiving treatment at the Sani Abacha Specialist Hospital in Damaturu.
The PPRO also revealed that five units of undetonated IEDs were recovered from the scene of the blast.
The latest blast came six days after suicide bombers in a sport utility vehicle detonated bombs at a police checkpoint at the entrance of Damaturu.
