‘Boko Haram’ KillS 18, Injures 12 In Adamawa Blast

Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Amaechi (middle) with his Special Adviser on ICT, Engr Goodlife Nmekini (right) and Medical Director, BMSH, Dr Kunmi Ijeru, during an inspection of ICT facilities installed in pediatrics unit of BMSH, last Friday in Port Harcourt. Photo: Egberi A Sampson

Terrorists suspected  to belong to the extreme Islamist group, Boko Haram, yesterday bombed a bar and brothel located near a major military base in Mubi, Adamawa State of Nigeria.
The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) last night put the death toll of the bombing at 18 while  the Commissioner of Police, Adamawa State confirmed 14 persons killed and 12 injured in the blast.
The DHQ also confirmed the arrest of two suspects in connection with the  bombing but said one later died from injuries sustained from the blast.
However, unconfirmed reports put the death toll of the blast at between 40 and 60..
Two security sources in the area told newsmen that a horrendous explosion rocked the bar and brothel which usually teems with civilian and military patrons.
The explosion happened close to 6 pm both sources said.
One of our sources said none of the casualties was a soldier, but the other stated that it was too early to determine whether any of the dead were soldiers.
The bombed facility is a short distance away from the headquarters of the Special Operations Battalion (SOB) of the Nigerian Army in Mubi.
The battalion is at the centre of the Nigerian government’s counter-offensive against Boko Haram’s increasingly daring attacks on military and civilian targets.
Soldiers based in Mubi frequently join civilians to eat, drink and dance at the watering hole, our sources said, adding that military commanders generally warned soldiers not to stay at the joint past 4 p.m.
In recent weeks, Boko Haram has carried out deadly attacks in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe, despite the Federal Government’s declaration of a state of emergency in the three states.
Meanwhile, a military source told newsmen that the number of those dead and injured was not clear by last night. He added that several bodies were recovered and the wounded were still being evacuated.
“We don’t have a precise death toll for you while work is still going on to remove the corpses,” Usman Abubakar, police spokesman for Adamawa State, told newsmen.
An eye witness told the news agency that the blast happened in the evening. The sources said the victims had been watching a televised match.
No group has claimed responsibility, though Boko Haram has staged attacks in the area in the past. The same group abducted over 200 schoolgirls in Nigeria on April 14 and is still holding them captive.
A suicide bomber failed to hit an open-air football viewing in the central city of Jos last weekend, as his car blew up before his target was reached. However, three people still died in the blast.
The week before, a suicide bombing killed 118 people in the central city of Jos, while another two bombs on the outskirts of Abuja killed 95 in April.