Explosion kills six JTF personnel, injures four

BY NDAHI MARAMA

MAIDUGURI -BARELY 24 hours after the brutal murder of four teachers in their various schools in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital, a bomb blast Monday hit the patrol vehicle of men of Joint Task Force (JTF) at the Roundabout of Kashim Ibrahim Way at noon, killing six JTF personnel, while four others sustained injuries.

The blast, according to reliable source, hit the patrol vehicle of JTF, while driving around the Roundabout of First Bank at 12am, killing six JTF operatives before other soldiers and policemen rushed to the scene to evacuate the remains of their dead colleagues.

But the Spokesman of the JTF, Leuitenant Colonel Sagir Musa insisted that only one soldiers was killed while two others sustained injuries in the blast.

The Sir Kashim Ibrahim Way/Roundabout is a busy area as there were concentration of Banks branches which includes UBA, Union Bank, Fidelity Bank, First Bank and Unity Bank among others.

Another eye witness who does not want his name mentioned in print told our correspondent   that he could not know whether the occupants were killed or not, but the blast ripped the JTF patrol vehicle into pieces, while passersby scampered for safety into various directions of the areas.

Our Correspondnet gathered that five minutes after the blast, the entire Roundabout Areas of First Bank, United Bank of Africa (UBA) and Union Bank, were cordoned off by the JTF, including the four roads leading to the Roundabout for five hours.

Vehicles and pedestrians were forced and directed by soldiers to take the Post Office Area and Government Reservation Areas (GRA) roads of Maiduguri.

However, a University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) source said that two dead bodies of JTF operatives were brought into the Hospital, while the other four who sustained critical injuries were admitted at the Accident and Emergency Unit (A&EU) for treatment

The UMTH A&EU attendant, who does not want his name in print said: “the bodies of dead and injured ones were brought in two Hilux Patrol vehicle at about 1.15pm Tuesday.”

The Spokesman of the Joint Task Force, ‘Operation Restore Order’ Leuitanant Colonel Sagir Musa said, a patrol Vehicle of the JTF was Tuesday attacked by suspected Boko Haram sect around First Bank Roundabout.

He said, the suspects used Improvised Explosive Device (IED) which was targeted at the patrol vehicle of JTF personnel.

He said the area has since been cordoned off with a view to apprehend the culprits.