It has been gathered that the death toll in Tuesday’s suicide bombing at a market in Maiduguri has risen over 60.
Apart from about 35 bodies said to have been taken to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH), 24 were also taken to the State Specialist Hospital, reports Thisday. Hospital sources however said that the casualty figure was higher, as some bodies could not be identified.
The permanent secretary in the ministry of health and executive secretary, hospital management board, Dr Salisu Kwaya Bura told Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno state that 24 corpses were deposited at the hospital. He was told that 54 people were admitted.
“Out of this number, 14 who were critically injured have been referred to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) for proper treatment while 20 have been discharged,” Dr Kwaya Bura told the governor during his visit to the victims at the State Specialist Hospital.
Two teenage girls dressed in full hijab were said to have blown themselves up at a crowded market in Maiduguri. 30 people were earlier reported to have been killed in the blast, but death toll had since reason, as more bodies were later discovered at the scene of the blast.
Although no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, it is believed that the Boko Haram sect was responsible. The sect has killed over 10,000 Nigerians in various attacks since it started its campaign in 2009.
Boko Haram wants an Islamic State in Nigeria and claims western education is sin.
