Our security source disclosed that a solitary suicide bomber detonated explosive devices near a checkpoint where local vigilante were carrying out stop and search operations along Maiduguri Road in Biu town.
Twenty-one people were killed and two suspected suicide bombers arrested yesterday after a blast in Biu, a town in Borno State, according to a hospital source.
The blast came as President Goodluck Jonathan paid an unscheduled visit to bolster Nigerian troops fighting Boko Haram insurgents in the key states of Borno and Adamawa states.
Our security source disclosed that a solitary suicide bomber detonated explosive devices near a checkpoint where local vigilante were carrying out stop and search operations along Maiduguri Road in Biu town.
“Three suicide bombers arrived at the checkpoint around 2:40 p.m. where civilians are usually asked to come down from vehicles for the usual stop and search,” said the source. He added that the first suicide bomber attacked the youth volunteers on guard duty while another one attempted to trigger his explosive, targeting the rescuers. “He was noticed and struck down by angry youths in the area,” the source said.
A resident, Grace Buba, told our correspondent that the bombers killed more than 20 people and wounded several others, but added that the youths arrested two suspected suicide bombers near the scene of the blast.