Fresh bomb blasts rock Maduguri, 3 dead, 14 injured

A series of bomb blasts on Tuesday morning shattered the fragile peace in the Borno State capital, Maiduguri.

Reports said the blasts occurred in Baga area, Gwange Ward and Bama Road shortly before accreditation of voters began, although the casualty figure was not known.

The explosions forced many voters to stay away from the polling centres, leading to poor turnout for the governorship and house of assembly elections in the state.

A man was also arrested while allegedly attempting to smuggle a package of explosives into the University of Maiduguri.

One of the explosions was reportedly aimed at a police convoy patrolling the state capital.

On Monday, three explosions in the city claimed three lives.

Three persons including a police corporal have died in Maiduguri following explosion of bombs at two separate places in the metropolis, while 14 people were seriously injured.
Daily Sun gathered that the explosive devices were thrown into a drinking joint at Tudu Maduganami in the metropolis by two young men on a motorcycle at about 8.30 pm on Sunday. The second blast also occurred in a similar way at the popular Tarsa Kano gate (Kano Park).

As the police were clearing the scene of the blast in the early hours of yesterday, another bomb exploded again in the city but sources said no casualty was recorded.   
Commissioner of Police, Mike Zuokomor, who confirmed the incident said he was attending a security meeting, preparatory to today’s election when he heard a deafening sound, adding that he promptly deployed some officers in the scene of the incidents to examine the situation.     

“Our officers were at the scene of the blast but unfortunately the place was so dark that they couldn’t see very well. Sadly, three people including a police corporal lost their lives while 14 persons were injured,” he disclosed. He also said the darkness prevented the anti-bomb unit of the police from combing the area in the night, adding that their second visit to the scene yesterday morning yielded result as one of the improvised explosive devices which has not been detonated, was discovered.

He said the bombs were planted but only two exploded, even as he maintained the perpetrators were “anarchists who kill for the sake of killing.”  He said the police was determined to stem the increasing wave of bombing in the state. “As for yesterday’s blast, there was no casualty. The evil men just threw the explosive at the patrol vehicle of the police and nobody was caught by their evil act, only the tire was damaged,” he said

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