The Ajilari Railway Crossing and Bintu sugar suburb of Maiduguri, Borno State capital, were attacked by suspected Boko Haram suicide bombers between 7:30pm – 8:00pm yesterday night. The incident left at least 50 people dead with over 90 others sustaining critical injuries. Reports from the state’s Specialist hospital, Maiduguri where some of the injured were taken, put the death toll at over 60 since many of the injured died while receiving treatment.
Ajilari Railway Crossing and Bintu sugar suburb located at the outskirts of Maiduguri have witnessed series of Boko Haram attacks in the past. According to reports, the explosions first occurred about 7:30 at telecommunications service point in a retail complex followed by other explosions that forced many residents to flee into the main city for safety.
Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Colonel Sani Kukasheka Usman, who confirmed the multiple blasts to Journalists insisted that the number of causalities was yet to be verified. He also urged residents of Maiduguri to be careful and report any suspicious movements to security agencies.
Yesterday’s attacks in Maiduguri came on the heel of an audio message purportedly from Boko Haram’s leader Abubakar. In the message, he described Buhari as a liar and claimed that the military’s claim to be making gains over them was also a lie.
In the 25-minutes recording in Hausa and Arabic and distributed through the social medial, Shekau said: “We are alive, I am alive, and this is my voice more audible than it was before. This is Shekau. Buhari is a liar and has deceived you. The army spokesman is also lying. He and his foot soldiers always run helter-skelter whenever we come face to face with them. Buhari, you once claimed that you would crush us in three months. How can you crush us?
The alleged audio statement was the first Shekau has made since March when he declared Boko Haram’s allegiance to the Islamic State group, ISIL.
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