President Bola Tinubu has called on Nigeria’s security agencies to step up operations aimed at eliminating the remaining elements of the Boko Haram insurgency, following a deadly suicide bombing in Konduga, Borno State.
In a statement issued on Sunday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu expressed deep sorrow over the attack, describing it as “cowardly.” He extended condolences to the Borno State government and residents, and instructed the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to assist those injured.
“The President mourned those who lost their lives in the tragic incident and condemned the act of violence as cowardly,” the statement read. “He urged security agencies to intensify their efforts in flushing out the remnants of Boko Haram insurgents who now target soft spots in a bid to divert attention.”
The blast occurred Friday night around 9:30 pm at the Tashan Kifi area, known as the fish market, in Konduga town. A female suicide bomber reportedly detonated an explosive device amid a crowded local food market.
Though eyewitnesses claimed over 20 people lost their lives and more than a dozen others were injured, the Borno State Police Command reported lower figures. According to ASP Daso Kenneth, “We received a distress call around 10 pm. A female suicide bomber with IEDs infiltrated the market and detonated the explosives, killing 10 and injuring several others. Emergency teams evacuated the injured to hospitals in Maiduguri.”
Tinubu sympathises with Kano
In a separate but similarly tragic incident, President Tinubu also sympathised with victims of an explosion that rocked the Gidan Karfe area of Kano State on Saturday morning. The blast, which occurred at a scrap metal facility, claimed five lives and left 10 others wounded.
According to preliminary findings, explosive materials concealed in scrap transported from Yobe State may have triggered the blast.
“President Tinubu stressed the critical need for workplace safety and urged relevant government agencies to thoroughly investigate the incident,” the statement said.
Kano State Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Bakori, who visited the site shortly after the explosion, confirmed the casualties and noted that emergency services responded swiftly to the scene, calming initial fears among residents.
