The suicide attack on a market in the city of Potiskum is the latest in a string of suicide strikes in which children have been used.
Nineteen people were injured in the blast in Yobe State’s commercial capital, a vigilante leader, Mr Buba Lawan, told AFP.
“So far, five people were killed with the girl while 19 others have been taken to hospital for injuries,” Buba Lawan said. A hospital source speaking on condition of anonymity confirmed the dead and the wounded count.
Yesterday’s bombing in Potiskum was the second suicide attack in or near the market where new and second-hand phones are sold and repaired.
The first attack occurred January 11, when two suicide bombers — one of whom appeared to be around 15 — blew themselves up outside the market killing six people and injuring 37 others.
Before yesterday’s strike, suspicious security guards and vigilantes said they tried to prevent the girl, who witnesses said appeared around seven, from entering the market.
According to Lawan, “we sent her back four times, because given her age, she did not have anything to do in the market. When we were screening people, she bent and tried to pass under the ropes, some distance from our view. That was when the explosives went off.”
In a sign of the distrust generated by the suicide campaign, Lawan said “we have barred women from entering the market to prevent further attacks.”
Troops reclaim Baga
Meanwhile, Nigerian troops have reclaimed the town of Baga and other surrounding communities in Borno State after days of fierce fighting, the Nigerian defence headquarters has said.
Director of Defence Information, Major General Chris Olukolade, in a statement on the Baga operation said a concerted air campaign by the Nigerian Air Force was ongoing in the forest to clear the terrorists from their enclaves.
He said air strikes, targeted at the training camps and logistics dumps of the terrorists in Sambisa forests and parts of Gwoza were “highly successful,” adding that a high death rate was recorded on the side of the terrorists while many others were scampering out of the areas invaded by the military.
Capture Shekau alive, troops urged
Following the spate of recent successes recorded by troops against Boko Haram insurgents in the north eastern parts of the country, Nigerian troops have been put on red alert for any insurgents’ leader bearing the name of Imam Abubakar Shekau who is believed to be desperately looking for escape routes.
A senior military source, however, informed PRNigeria, government information network, that troops have been urged to try at all costs to capture Shekau alive so that he would face justice.
On at least two occasions now, troops have killed characters calling themselves Abubakar Shekau in videos but the insurgents manages to find other individuals looking like him and pretend that he was still alive.
The order to catch Shekau alive is, therefore, to ensure that it will no longer be possible to resort to the same trick.
According to sources, the rumour about Shekau’s invincibility was one of the factors why troops were afraid to confront the terrorists.
The troop’s morale has also been greatly boosted in recent times by arrival of sophisticated armaments and the decision of senior military officers to lead the war against terror directly which also influenced the change of some commanders.
An intelligence sources disclosed that some of the successes recorded in recovery of big towns in the North-East were due to deployment of new strategies, improved disciplinary measures, and sincerity of participating countries in the regional alliance and the acquisitions of latest equipment.
In the past, Colonels have led direct attacks in accordance with military tradition but because of the large scale desertions recorded, Military Generals then decided to directly lead the war and this has greatly boosted morale.
It was even learnt that many of the troops that earlier deserted have returned while others have expressed desire to return to the front.
Communities reclaimed
Within a week of the massive operation, the troops have recovered Monguno, Marte, Gamboru Ngala, Dikwa among other big towns and several surrounding communities in Borno State.
The source added that “with acquisition of new equipment from various sources and the specialised training of the troops on guerrilla warfare, the military indirectly called the bluff of some deceptive western countries who are now trying to save face by claiming to work with our neighbours.
“The effective collaboration and mutual relationship with our neighbours is paying off as they now realise that inactions can pose disasters to their countries too,” he concluded.
Culled: Vanguard
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