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The Nigerian government has ordered security chiefs to relocate to Maiduguri, Borno State, where about 23 people died following bomb blasts in the North-Eastern city, promising to track the perpetrators of the “acts of terror”.
President Bola Tinubu, in condemning the incident, described it as part of the “desperate and frantic attempts by criminals and terrorist elements trying to instil and spread fear” among people owing to pressure from security forces.
He said the government is beefing up security across the country and has “directed security chiefs to move to Maiduguri to take charge of the situation.
“I have also directed the emergency agencies to provide proper care for the injured,” Tinubu wrote in a statement on Tuesday.
The president said the incident is “profoundly upsetting” but warned that “There is no place in Nigeria where terrorists will find safety.
“We will locate them, confront them, and completely defeat them.”
“We will continue to intensify our efforts against all criminal elements, wherever they may be,” Tinubu promised.
He lauded the “courage and fighting spirit of our patriotic troops” for their efforts in repelling the “coordinated attacks by these terrorists on military positions in the state”.
Listing efforts by his administration to address insecurity, the ex-Lagos State governor said he recently “approved additional equipment and operational support to enhance their capabilities.
“This effort is already in progress,” he said.
Outrage, Condemnation Trail Bombing
Meanwhile, the Northern Senators’ Forum said it is “shocked and saddened by the devastating bomb explosions.”
While extending “heartfelt condolences to the government and people of Borno State,” the lawmakers assured that “everything will be done by the Federal Government to ensure that the people regain confidence in the City.”
“We pray for the speedy recovery of the injured and comfort for the families of the victims,” Abdulaziz Yar’Adua, the forum’s leader, said in a statement.
“We also call on all Nigerians to remain calm and support the efforts of the security agencies to bring the perpetrators to justice.”
On their part, the governors’ forum condemned the attack, saying it was a “reckless waste of human lives, and tasked the security forces to degrade the capacity of the terrorists to carry out such attacks.”
“Our condolences and sympathies are with the people and government of Borno State on this sad development,” Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, the leader of the group, wrote, promising to “work with the Federal Government to totally defeat terrorists in any part of the country”.
Security Beefed Up, Survivors Recount Ordeal
On Tuesday, police authorities in Borno said 23 people were killed in the bomb blasts that rocked the state on Monday.
“Preliminary investigation reveals that the incidents were carried out by suspected suicide bombers. Regrettably, a total of twenty-three (23) persons lost their lives, while one hundred and eight (108) others sustained varying degrees of injuries,” the spokesman of the Borno State Police Command, Nahum Kenneth-Daso, said.
A combined team of police tactical units, the military, and other joint security operatives has been deployed to the affected areas.
The victims have been evacuated by emergency responders, while those injured are receiving medical attention.
Witnesses described the panic as people fled the blast at the market towards an exit that passes through the post office area, where minutes later, another blast hit.
“We were sitting (at the market) when we suddenly heard a loud explosion. Everyone immediately started running in fear. While people were still fleeing, another explosion occurred around the post office area,” said Modu Bukar, 27.
Another survivor, Mala Mohammed, 31, told AFP that many people “ran toward the post office area because the market entrance and the post office are not far apart.
“Unfortunately, as they were running towards the post office, the person who had the explosive device ran into the crowd while people were still trying to escape.”
The incident is coming as President Tinubu was preparing for a state visit to the UK on Tuesday, the first by a Nigerian leader in 37 years.
