Suicide bomber kills Prof, 4 others in Maiduguri
Aprofessor of Veterinary Medicine, Aliyu Usman Mani, unidentified student and three others were yesterday killed by a suicide bomber during early morning prayers at a mosque inside the staff quarters of the University of Maiduguri.
Borno State Police Commissioner, Mr. Damien Chukwu confirmed the incident. He said the university was besieged by two suicide bombers during the early hours of Monday.
Chukwu said: “The first explosion occurred at about 05:15hours early in the morning, when a police mobile force personnel on duty near the Gate 4 at the back of University of Maiduguri, gunned down a female suicide bomber of about 12years old, who was trying to infiltrate the university premises and the IED (Improvised Explosive Device) strapped to her body
exploded instantly.
“Shortly after that, the second suicide bomber, a seven year-old detonated the second explosive at the senior staff quarters mosque in the university where a professor, and four persons were killed and 15 persons sustained various degrees of injuries and were rushed to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital for treatment.”
Also speaking, Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Abubakar Njodi, said: “We lost three persons; as earlier reported to be two, but later the body of Professor Mani was discovered, after others were taken to the hospital. That was why there were discrepancies in the figures.
“From the reports I have been receiving since (yesterday) morning, we have 15 people that have been taken to the hospital from the mosque where it happened. Two of those in the hospital are in critical conditions. The university was lucky that the loss was not as colossal as it could have been had the second suicide bomber made her way to a populated area.”
The management of the university placed restriction on movement within the campus and postponed first semester examinations scheduled for yesterday killing her saying, students will now write the examination papers today.
“So we have to suspend the exams, because we could not have had a stable mind to go and write exams under this grieving condition. So we have to suspend the exams to allow even the security do all the necessary checks they may want to do,” Prof. Njodi said.
Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima, the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Major General Lucky Irabor, the Acting General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the 7-Division Nigerian Army, Brig. Gen. Victor Ezugwu and the state Commissioner of Police have visited the scene and sympathised with management of the university.
Until his death, Late Prof. Mani was the Director of the university’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital. He also held several positions in committees both within and outside the university. He also held a number of positions in the Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association (NVMA).
The deceased, who was born in Katsina City of Katsina State on April 11, 1957, left behind a wife and two children.
His colleagues at the university and students told our reporter that the late Prof. Mani was a peaceful lecturer.
President vigilance Buhari urges
Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has reaffirmed the need for Nigerians to remain more vigilant even as the security agencies continue to use all means at their disposal to combat remnants of insurgents and their sponsors.
The president, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, condemned yesterday’s terrorist attack at a mosque in the University of Maiduguri.
Buhari sympathised and condoled with the university community, families of the victims as well as the government and people of Borno State.
He expressed belief that “this appalling attack on a revered place of worship and Ivory Tower shows that the perpetrators have no true understanding of Islam.”
He described the acts of terrorism as cowardly, criminal, unjustifiable and punishable before God Almighty and the laws of the land.
He reassured communities in Borno and others in the Northeast that his administration would continue to ensure that terrorism never triumphs over peace-loving Nigerians.
President Buhari wished those injured in the attack speedy and full recovery as well as comfort for families of the dead.
ASUU expresses shock
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has also expressed shock over the early morning suicide bomb attack at the University of Maiduguri mosque.
The union suspended a scheduled press conference after the meeting of its National Executive Council in Kano as a result of the incident.
ASUU National President, Prof Abiodun Ogunyemi announced the suspension of the news conference in Kano on Monday.
He said following the bomb blast, the executive council of the union had no alternative than to suspend the conference until it gets the details of what happened.
“We don’t have the state of mind to do what we want to do today.
“We are offset with unfortunate development in Maiduguri.
“We learnt that four people including a professor lost their lives while six others sustained injuries,” Ogunyemi said.
ASUU National Executive members had been in Kano for the past four days to discuss issues about Nigerian universities.
Ogunyemi was expected to address a conference on the outcome of the meeting of the national executive council when he received the news of the unfortunate incident in Maiduguri.