No fewer than 30 persons were killed in triple suicide bombing by Boko Haram jihadists in Konduga, Borno State.
This is even as three persons were killed in fresh outbreak of violence in parts of Jalingo, the Taraba State capital.
These came as the Inspector General of Police, IGP Mohammed Abubakar Adamu, declared Monday that the crime rate in the country has declined.
In the Borno incident, three bombers detonated their explosives outside a hall in Konduga, 38 kilometres (24 miles) from the Borno state capital Maiduguri, where football fans were watching a match on Television.
“The death toll from the attack has so far increased to 30. We have over 40 people injured,” Usman Kachalla, head of operations at the State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, said Monday.
Leader of a self-defence group group in the town, Ali Hassan, said the attack occurred around 9 p.m. on Sunday night, adding that the owner of the viewing centre prevented one of the bombers from entering the packed venue.
“There was a heated argument between the operator and the bomber who blew himself up, also killing the operator,” Hassan said by phone.
Two other bombers who had mingled among the crowd at a tea stall nearby also detonated their suicide vests.
Hassan said most of the victims were from outside the soccer viewing centre, noting that ”nine people died on the spot, including the operator, and 48 were injured.”
Kachala said the high number of fatalities was because emergency responders were unable to reach the site of the blast on time, nor were they equipped to deal with large number of wounded persons.
“Lack of an appropriate health facility to handle such huge emergency situation and the delay in obtaining security clearance to enable us deploy from Maiduguri in good time led to the high death toll,” he said.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but the attack bore the imprint of Boko Haram, which has led a decade-long campaign to establish a hard-line Islamic state in North East Nigeria.
The last suicide attack was in April this year when two female suicide bombers blew themselves up outside the garrison town of Monguno, killing a soldier and a vigilante and injuring another soldier.
Konduga had been repeatedly targeted by suicide bombers from a Boko Haram faction loyal to long-time leader Abubakar Shekau.
The faction typically carries out suicide attacks against soft civilian targets such as mosques, markets and bus stations, often using young women and girls as bombers.
Boko Haram insurgency has claimed 27,000 lives and forced some two million to flee their homes.
The violence has spilled into neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon, prompting the formation of a regional military coalition to battle the insurgents.
In Jalingo, Taraba State, three persons were killed, while many houses were burnt as youth from different ethnic groups in the state clashed in the city on Sunday night.
A senior government official said suspected herdsmen had threatened to invade the town but security personnel did not take the warning seriously.
The source said three persons were killed during the attack.
A witness, Ibro Bala, said ATC Kofai, an area largely populated by university students was affected during the crisis, which claimed three lives.
He said: “It’s actually a clash between herdsmen and a tribe called Kona. It started about two months ago when the herdsmen attacked them in their local communities.
“So, on Sunday, Kona youth went on rampage in an area called ATC Kofai, at about 2pm to 5pm, the youth around there started attacking all the people, burning houses that belong to them. Many people were also killed, while houses and cars were burnt.
“Security operatives came later, around 7 p.m., but the boys were still struggling, exchange of gunshot was heard. About five or more cars were burnt down.”
Emmanuel Ishaku, a resident, said a popular market in the area was also affected and people had to leave for fear of retaliation.
“When I was passing on my way to work, I saw a couple of cars that got burnt around Kasuwan Bera and Nuka.
“From what my eyes saw, there were four cars burnt and then a couple of keke, like six of them were burnt. I heard a couple of shops (inside Nukai market) were burnt and others remain locked,” he said.
Confirming the clash Monday, the state police command said it took place at Tudiri village in Ardo Kola local government area, on the outskirt of Taraba State.
Spokesman of the Police command, DSP David Misal, in a statement, however, said no life was lost but noted that some shops were looted.
But an eyewitness who spoke on condition of anonymity, said one person was killed.
The police statement read: “At about 1800 hrs, heavily armed bandits on motorcycles invaded Tudiri Village via Jauro Yinu ward, Ardo Kola LGA who set houses ablaze.
“The command immediately mobilized patrol teams to the area, but before their arrival, the hoodlums had fled to the bush.
“It is unfortunate that some youths, being apprehensive of the development, blocked Nukkai, Kasuwan Bera, ATC highway Jalingo and set disused tyres on fire.
“Consequently, three vehicles, two motorcycles and three Tricycles were burnt, but with the timely intervention of security operatives, the situation was brought under control.
“No death was recorded and the situation is closely monitored by security agencies in a bid to forestall any further breakdown of law and order.”
While normalcy is gradually returning to the state capital, some residents in the affected areas were seen moving their valuables to other areas.
Meanwhile, Mohammed Abubakar Adamu, Inspector General of Police, Monday declared that the crime rate in the country has declined, noting that the last few weeks had witnessed new patterns and threats of criminality that had necessitated a review of strategy.
Noting that the successes in tackling the different criminal challenges were a fallout of Operation Puff Adder currently going on across the country, the IGP urged Zonal AIGs and Command CPs to re-double their efforts as the battle was still far from over.
Emphasising on the decline in the country, the IGP said: “Sequel to the launch of Operation Puff Adder in all the states of the federation and other security strategies recently emplaced to address internal security threats, a total 424 kidnappers were arrested between May 10 and June 14, 2019.
”The highest number of 101 kidnap suspects were arrested in Kaduna State, followed by Katsina State with 79 arrests. 54 suspects were apprehended in Nasarawa State and 32 in Taraba.
“In the same vein, 44 murder suspects were arrested during the period under review, with the highest number of seven in FCT and six in Kano State.
“In addition, 276 armed robbery suspects were arrested within the same period, with the highest number of 38 in Edo State, followed by 25 in Nasarawa State and 23 in FCT.
“Similarly, 10,860 ammunition of various descriptions and calibre were recovered, while a total of 301 firearms, including a rocket launcher, AK47 assault rifles, pistols and locally made gun, were similarly recovered from criminal elements across the country, with the highest number of 80 in Katsina State, followed by Edo State with 26 and Kaduna State with 25.
“Furthermore, 176 suspected cultists were arrested across the country, while 77 stolen vehicles were recovered by Operation Puff Adder operatives nationwide between May 10, and June 14, 2019, with the highest number of 29 in FCT.
“It is to be emphasized that the achievements were recorded with the cooperation of members of the public in a manner that clearly demonstrates the increasing determination of the citizens to support the Police in restoring internal security.
“It was also the result of the sacrifice, courage, zeal and exceptional dedication of police commanders and other ranks.
“We might have taken giant steps against crime and criminality but the battle is still far from over. I, therefore, charge you to sustain the sense of commitment to duty as it represents a sacred call to nation.”
Earlier, the IGP had told the senior officers that he convened the conference in furtherance of ‘my policy’ of constantly engaging strategic police commanders to undertake periodic review of internal security situation in the country.
“This is with a view to proffering pragmatic and far-reaching solutions to crimes in the country.
In this regard, the conference will review the pattern and trend of crimes over the past one month, highlight our achievements, identify our challenges, geo-locate the current security threats and evaluate strategies with a view to strengthening our crime management template.”
