A teenage female suicide bomber set off a bomb which ripped through a market in Damaturu yesterday, killing at least 15 people, police said.
About 47 others were injured at a popular Sunday market in the Yobe State capital.
The bomb was set off around 9:45am as the teenager joined a queue for search at the market gate.
Police spokesman, ASP Toyin Gbadegeshin, told newsmen: “A female suicide bomber aged about 10 years detonated the explosive device at a crowded main entrance of the popular Sunday market, killing 15 people including three females and 12 males with 47 others sustaining injuries”.
He said five other active explosives were recovered at the scene of the explosion.
Sources at the Sani Abacha General Hospital in Damaturu said an injured person died in the hospital, while they received 15 corpses from the blast scene.
Some of the victims were rushed for emergency treatment while others were referred to the Federal Medical Centre, Nguru.
A combined rescue team from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Red Cross and volunteers were at the scene evacuating corpses and the injured.
Yesterday’s blast came six days after suicide bombers in a jeep detonated an IED at a police checkpoint in the city.
Earlier, nine people were killed in the same city when a female suicide bomber struck as worshippers gathered during the Eid el-Fitr holiday. Meanwhile, Governor Ibrahim Gaidam, while condemning the attack described it as callous, barbaric and unjustifiable.
A statement from Abdullahi Bego, his Director of Press Affairs, said it was another sad day in the state as innocent people were again the “target of blood-thirsty terrorists”.
“Governor Gaidam’s thoughts and prayers are with the families of victims and those who sustained injuries”, the statement said.
Gaidam urged security agencies in the state to step up surveillance while the people must remain very vigilant about happenings. He also urged them to report any suspicious person or movement to the nearest security point.
The governor directed authorities at the Sani Abacha Specialist Hospital, Damaturu to provide immediate and free medical attention for victims.