President Bola Tinubu and one of his major contenders in the last election, Atiku Abubakar, have condemned the suicide bombing attacks that reportedly killed at least 18 people in some parts of Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State.
While Mr Tinubu declared the incidents as an act of terrorism, Atiku charged the federal government not to allow the North-east region to slide back into a “theatre of terrorism and extreme violence.”
“It is unfortunate that much of the pushback that had been achieved against the Boko Haram terror sect is being cancelled,” Atiku posted on his X handle, blaming the federal government for laxity to “hold firmly on the frontline.”
However, the President, in a statement released by his media aide, Ajuri Ngelale, said the attacks were a clear manifestation of the military onslaught against the terrorists and “the success achieved in degrading their capacity to launch offensives and the success achieved in degrading their capacity to launch offensives.”
“The purveyors of wanton violence shall have a certain encounter with justice,” he stated, reiterating his government is taking necessary measures to secure Nigerians.
He further emphasised that efforts “will be redoubled to ensure that those who trouble the nation, dispatching precious lives, and disrupting law and order are completely removed.”
Mr Tinubu sympathised with the victims of the attacks, the families of the deceased, as well as the government and people of Borno State.
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The US Mission in Nigeria, Amnesty International condemn attacks
In a statement posted on its X handle, The US Mission in Nigeria described the Saturday bomb attacks as “acts of violence show a cruel and heartless disregard for human life.”
“We offer our deepest condolences to the families and friends of those killed and wish a full recovery to the injured,” the statement partly read, noting the incidents are a stark reminder of the ongoing threat posed by terrorism in the region.
The diplomatic mission, thus, pledged its partnership with Nigeria “as it works to defeat terrorism and bring the perpetrators of these heinous acts to justice.”
Amnesty International, on its own, in an X post, described the attacks as vicious and unlawful and demonstrated a contemptible disregard for human life.
“Boko Haram must end its campaign of vicious and unlawful killings of civilians. These deplorable attacks that took place at a time people were mourning demonstrate complete disregard for human life,” it stated.
The coordinated bomb attacks
PREMIUM TIMES had reported how four female suicide bombers, suspected to be members of the Boko Haram group operating in Gwoza, detonated bombs at different locations, resulting in the deaths of military personnel and other civilians.
Initially, the police in Borno estimated the casualties at six, but subsequent official reports said the toll increased to 18.
A source familiar with the insurgents’ operations in the North-eastern state told PREMIUM TIMES that the first bombing was recorded at a wedding ceremony in Mararaban Gwoza.
“The second one took place at a security checkpoint, killing a soldier and two civilians,” the source told our reporter in confidence.
According to him, the third incident “happened at a shopping mall and the fourth one at a burial ground.”
The incidents, he said, took place between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. all around the same area.
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