Female suicide bomber, carrying a baby and pretending to be a wedding guest, detonates bomb, second blast occurs at a hospital where wounded are being treated; third at a funeral where victims are being buried.

Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu has condemned the “horrific” suicide bomb blasts on Saturday that killed at least 18 people in Gwoza town in northeastern Borno State.

Four female suicide bombers set off improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in the town, targeting a wedding ceremony, a hospital and a funeral service between 3pm and 5pm on Saturday, June 29.

One of the female suicide bombers was a young mother in her twenties. She was carrying a baby and pretending to be a wedding guest when she detonated the IED.

Children and pregnant women were among those killed in the three blasts.

At least 42 people were wounded. Injuries ranged from abdominal ruptures to skull and limb fractures.

In a statement on Sunday, June 30, presidential spokesman Ajuri Ngelale conveyed Tinubu’s message of condolence to the victims’ families, Borno State residents and the state government.

Ngelale said the president’s heart was with the victims and he “vowed to end terrorism across the country” and to bring those responsible to justice.

Tinubu assured the nation that his administration was taking steps to safeguard citizens.

“President Tinubu describes the attacks as desperate acts of terror and a clear manifestation of the pressure mounted against terrorists and the success achieved in degrading their capacity to launch offensives.

“The purveyors of wanton violence shall have a certain encounter with justice and these cowardly attacks are only but an isolated episode.”

Tinubu said his government would not allow the nation “to slither into an era of fear, tears, sorrow and blood”.

He said his administration was taking necessary measures to secure citizens, emphasising that efforts would be redoubled to ensure that those who “troubled the nation, dispatching precious lives and disrupting law and order, are completely removed”.

Saturday’s blasts were believed to have been carried out by female members of the Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’way Wa’l-Jihād (JAS), more commonly referred to as Boko Haram.

Barkindo Saidu, the director-general of the Borno State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), told reporters that the first female suicide bomber detonated the device during a marriage ceremony at about 3pm. She was pretending to be a guest at the wedding.

“Minutes later, another blast occurred near the Gwoza General Hospital,” Saidu said, “and then there was a third attack at a funeral service by a female suicide bomber disguised as a mourner.”

The bombing at the funeral service occurred when mourners were burying the victims of the first explosion.

Saidu, who was attending the wedding ceremony at Tashan Mararaba near the Fire Service in Gwoza town, said he witnessed the first blast.

He confirmed that a female suicide bomber – carrying a baby on her back and pretending to be a wedding guest – entered the venue and detonated the IED.

He said “many wedding guests” died instantly and many more were wounded.

“The wounded were taken to the General Hospital for treatment. That was when a second blast occurred.

“And then, as people gathered to bury those killed at the wedding, a third bomber, also a woman, detonated another IED. There were a lot of casualties.

“While SEMA emergency officials were in the hospital coordinating the rescue mission, a fourth blast was set off by a female teenager.”

Saidu said 18 people, comprising men, women and children, had died in the blasts; 19 were seriously wounded and had been taken from the General Hospital to Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, for treatment; 23 were being treated at the Medical Regimental Services Clinic.

Saidu coordinated the evacuation of the wounded, which continued into Saturday night.

He said he had received a report of a suspected suicide bomber in Pulka town in the Gwoza Local Government Area but did not provide further details.

Musa Waziri, a resident of Gwoza town, told RNI that the first IED was detonated at the wedding ceremony at Tashan Mararaba at about 3pm.

“The second bomb blast occurred at the Gwoza General Hospital where victims of the first blast were receiving medical treatment. A third IED was detonated at a funeral service being held to bury those who were killed in the first blast.”

Muhammad Buba Jaje, also a resident of Gwoza town, lost his father in the first explosion.

“I was really shocked and disturbed when I heard about my father’s death. May Allah expose and punish the perpetrators of this gruesome incident wherever they are. May the soul of my father and those innocent people killed rest in peace. May Allah grant them Jannatul Firdaus [paradise].”

Jamila Mala Abba told RNI that her father also died in the explosion.

“My father was attending the wedding ceremony. The suicide bomber detonated an IED. My father and many others were killed.”

She said she was devastated by her father’s death.

“I am praying for Almighty Allah to forgive the shortcomings of all the innocent people killed in the blast.”

Atiku Abubakar, the former vice-president and the presidential candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2023 elections, said on his X handle: “It is a sad development that the ugly incidents of terrorism are resurfacing and, indeed, metastasising in the northeast.

“The reported attack by suicide bombers at a wedding reception, funeral procession and a hospital on Saturday stands condemned.

“It is unfortunate that much of the pushback that had been achieved against the Boko Haram terror sect is being cancelled, owing mainly to the government’s lacklustre posture to hold firmly on the frontline.

“It is important to call on the federal authorities to wake up to their responsibility and to make sure that the northeast does not slide back into a theatre of terrorism and extreme violence.

“My condolences go to the families of victims of these attacks, and it is my prayer that God grants a peaceful repose to the souls of the departed.”

The United States government condemned the attack, saying: “The United States condemns in the strongest possible terms the horrific attacks that took place in Gwoza, Borno State, on June 29. These reprehensible acts of violence show a cruel and heartless disregard for human life.

“We offer our deepest condolences to the families and friends of those killed and wish a full recovery to the injured. These abhorrent attacks are a stark reminder of the ongoing threat posed by terrorism in the region.”

The US reiterated its commitment to collaborate with the Nigerian government “to defeat terrorism and bring the perpetrators of these heinous acts to justice”.

Mohamed Mallick Fall, the UN Resident Coordinator in Nigeria, said on Sunday: “The United Nations strongly condemns the suicide bomb attacks on civilian populations in the Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State yesterday. The exact number of people killed and injured remains unknown, but it appears that dozens of people have reportedly been killed and others seriously injured.

“On 29 June, members of a non-state armed group allegedly attacked a wedding party in Gwoza town with a person-borne improvised explosive device. Dozens of people were reportedly killed in this attack, including children, women and men. Reportedly, this was followed by another two attacks later the same day.

“I am horrified by this attack on civilian populations and condemn such acts in the strongest terms. I stand in solidarity with the government of Nigeria, and the families and communities of all those affected.

“I have reached out to the Borno State Government to express my condolences and offer any support that the United Nations and the humanitarian community can provide to aid the victims of the attack.”

The Nigerian military has imposed a curfew in the Gwoza Local Government Area and is conducting patrols around Gwoza town. Civilian task force members, police officers and other security personnel are providing support.

SHETTIMA LAWAN MONGUNO