Doctors at Mafa General Hospital try in vain to save the lives of a truck driver and his conductor who were severely wounded in the IED blast.

Two people were killed along the Dikwa-Mafa road on Wednesday, January 3, when the DAFF truck they were in drove over an improvised explosive device (IED) planted on the roadside by insurgents.
Baba Musa, treasurer of the Muna branch of the National Road Transport Union of Nigeria, said: “The truck driver and his conductor sustained severe wounds and they were rushed for treatment to the Mafa General Hospital. But, unfortunately, doctors were not able to save them and they succumbed to their injuries.”

He said the incident occurred in the morning. They men were travelling from Dikwa to Maiduguri.

Musa said that the road was closed for a few hours on Wednesday and only reopened later when things had stabilised.
“The incident has frightened passengers. Some have even suspended their trips because they fear the same thing will happen to them.”

Grema Mohammed, who travelled from Dikwa to Maiduguri on Thursday, said the road was clear and that it was safe to travel.

“But passengers are afraid of travelling on the road now. They say there are not enough security personnel on the road.”
In a separate incident, one person was injured when a fire broke out at Muna camp, a refuge for internally displaced persons (IDPs), on Thursday morning.
“At least 20 houses were destroyed,” said Amma Mohammed. “My house was one of them. I was making breakfast when I heard my children screaming for help. I rushed to the house and we all ran outside. We lost everything and there is nothing left.

“We thank God no one was killed. A newly wed woman was injured. But luckily, the burns were not serious and she was treated and discharged.”

The cause of the fire was not known, but some IDPs told RNI said that they had heard it was started by a cooker that caught alight.

Bulama Mele, a resident of the camp, said the fire started at about 10am.
“We are not sure of the exact time but we heard people shouting for help and then we rushed towards them to try to help. The fire spread quickly and, unfortunately, we were helpless. Thank God fire fighters arrived quickly and put out the fire.

“This was the third fire at Muna IDP camp in less than three months. In November at least 1,050 houses were gutted by a fire in the camp. Some of those victims have still not fully recovered. They need humanitarian aid because they lost everything.”

ADAMU ALIYU NGULDE