It was a black weekend in Borno State in what appeared to be a return of mass bombing following four female suicide bomb attacks in different locations of Gwoza Local Government Area of the state.
The local government is regarded as a relatively peaceful area.
The coordinated attacks by three female suicide bombers led to the death of no fewer than 18 people while 42 sustained varying degrees of injuries ranging from abdominal raptures, skull fractures, and limb fractures.
The first suicide bomb attack on June 29 was executed by a lady with her child wrapped behind her back.
Zagazola Makama, a counterinsurgency expert told NewsNGR on Sunday, that the bomber disguised as a woman with a child to beat security watch or suspicion.
According to the Borno Police Command, the bomber detonated the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) during a marriage ceremony celebration at a T-junction area of Mararaba in Gwoza LGA of the state.
The Borno Director General of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Dr Barkindo Saidu said, “It affected more than 30 persons with various levels of injuries and instant death.”
He said, “At the funeral services (janaiza), another lady rushed onto the congregation and detonated another bomb with a lot of casualties. We were in the hospital coordinating the rescue mission, and another Bomb exploded from a female teenager.
“So far, 18 deaths comprise children, adult males, females, and pregnant women,” the SEMA DG said, noting that a total of 19 were seriously injured and were conveyed to Maiduguri in four ambulances while 23 are waiting for military escort in the Medical Regimental Services (MRS) Clinic.
A senior analyst at the Crisis Group, Vincent Foucher “strongly suspects” it could be an “urban myth” with no authoritative backing, but believed the female attackers were affiliated with the Jama’at Ahl as-Sunnah Lid-Da’wah wa’l-Jihad, an Islamist jihadist organisation, also known as Boko Haram.
“This is JAS-Boko Haram. That’s it. They are right next to Gwoza. Up the hills, under Aliyu Ngulde,” he told NewsNGR.
Makama also told our correspondent that the “Gwoza attack was isolated. It is not something that has happened before. The town had recorded relative peace and this attack changed everything
“It is still doubtful, it is the ISWAP inghamasi squad that carried out the attack because they have not made any official statement. If they are quiet, then the Boko Haram faction of Ali Ngulde is responsible
“As of yesterday, rumours filtered that there were about 17 bombers. This made the military announce a curfew and total lockdown in Gwoza Town. Women were also banned from coming out from their homes throughout Yesterday.”
Tinubu Vows Revenge
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu has condemned the Saturday’s suicide bombs describing it as a desperate act of terror, and vowing revenge.
In a statement on Sunday, presidential spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, conveyed the President’s condolence message.
“President Tinubu describes the attacks as desperate acts of terror and a clear manifestation of the pressure mounted against terrorists and the success achieved in degrading their capacity to launch offensives,” the statement read.
Tinubu said that the “purveyors of wanton violence shall have a certain encounter with justice and that these cowardly attacks are only but an isolated episode as his government will not allow the nation to slither into an era of fear, tears, sorrow, and blood.”
Wake Up To Your Responsibilities, Atiku Tells FG
Meanwhile, former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar called on President Tinubu to wake up from his slumber.
In a statement on Sunday via social media, he blamed the president for renewed insecurity in the North East.
Atiku said it’s “a sad development that the ugly incidents of terrorism are resurfacing and, indeed, metastasising in the North-East.”
He condemned the attacks saying, “It is unfortunate that much of the pushback that had been achieved against the Boko Haram terror sect are being cancelled, owing mainly to the government’s lacklustre posture to hold firmly on the frontline.
“It is thus important to call on the federal authorities to wake up to their responsibility and to make sure that the North-East does not slide back into a theatre of terrorism and extreme violence.
“My condolences go to the families of victims of these attacks, and it is my prayer that God grants a peaceful repose to the souls of the departed.”
US Condemns ‘Horrific’ Attacks
Similarly, the United States Government condemned the attack, describing it as horrific.
“The United States condemns in the strongest possible terms the horrific attacks that took place in Gwoza, Borno State on June 29. These reprehensible acts of violence show a cruel and heartless disregard for human life,” the Mission said in a Sunday message.
“We offer our deepest condolences to the families and friends of those killed and wish a full recovery to the injured. These abhorrent attacks are a stark reminder of the ongoing threat posed by terrorism in the region.”
It also reiterated the Mission’s commitment to collaborate with the Nigerian government to defeat terrorism and bring the perpetrators of these heinous acts to justice.
We Are Horrified By This Attack- UN
Also, the United Nations condemned the suicide bomb attacks describing it as horrific.
The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Fall, in a statement on Sunday, expressed his horror and condemnation of the attacks in the strongest terms.
“I am horrified by this attack on civilian populations and condemn such acts in the strongest terms. I stand in solidarity with the Government of Nigeria and the families and communities of all those affected,” he stated.
Fall also reminded all parties involved in the conflict of their obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians from harm.
He emphasised the United Nations’ commitment to supporting the victims of the attacks and conveyed his condolences to the Borno State Government.
“I have reached out to the Borno State Government to express my condolences and offer any support that the United Nations and the humanitarian community can provide to aid the victims of the attack,” he added.