Female Suicide Bombers Kill 56 in Madagali
Buhari, Atiku mourn
Two schoolgirl suicide bombers yesterday killed 57 people and wounded dozens more in a coordinated attack on a crowded market in Madagali, the headquarters of Madagali Local Government Area in Adamawa State.
The bombings bore the hallmark of Islamist terrorist group Boko Haram, which has been waging a terror war to set up a state adhering to a strict interpretation of Islamic laws in the Northeast. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
Yusuf Mohammed, chairman of the local government, confirmed that the bombings left 56 people dead and wounded 57.
Major Badare Akintoye, a spokesman for an army unit in
the nearby town of Mubi, also confirmed that the attacks had been carried out simultaneously by two schoolgirls.
An eyewitness said the two suicide bombers detonated their bombs at the grains and second hand clothes section of the market at about noon.
The eyewitness said the people injured had been evacuated to Michika General Hospital for treatment by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
He said the incident created a serious tension, resulting in people fleeing the area to a safer place.
The eyewitness lamented that the incident was happening at the time when the residents of Madagali had started living peacefully.
In a swift reaction, President Muhammadu Buhari expressed heartfelt condolences to the families of victims of the bomb.
Buhari also condoled with the government and people of the state over the unfortunate incident, assuring them that they were not alone as the rest of the nation mourned this grave loss with them.
Buhari said that “putting an end to this senseless loss of innocent lives remains a top priority of this administration” adding that, “over the past few weeks, the Nigerian military have made significant advancements in an offensive aimed at slamming the final nail in the coffin of Boko Haram.”
According to him, “This latest attack is obviously an act of desperation, but the Nigerian military will neither be distracted nor relent.”
Also, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar condemned the attack and proposed intelligence surge to avert such horrendous attacks and greater vigilance on the part of citizens, especially in the liberated communities.
In a statement issued on his behalf by his media office, the former Vice President expressed his deepest grief and regret over such heartless disregard for human life by terrorists, and explains that indiscriminate mass murderers should not be allowed to defeat humanity and impose their reign of terror on the people.
According to the former Vice President, the Boko Haram terrorists still pose a real threat, adding that the country must redouble its efforts and unite against them.
Atiku urges greater vigilance on the part of citizens and increased intelligence, as the military ramps up its operations against Boko Haram insurgents.
He said he was highly embarrassed that these terrorists are hiding behind religious ideology to commit atrocities against innocent people, despite the fact that Islam, and indeed any other religion prohibits the murder of innocent people.