Fresh attempts by suicide bombers to cause irreparable harm to many lives and proprieties in Borno has been thwarted.
Men of the Nigeria Police Force
Two suicide bombers in the early hours of Friday killed themselves at a police checkpoint near the Federal High Court Complex in Maiduguri.
The suicide bombers killed themselves after police officers on guard tried to stop them from advancing towards their post, an official said.
A third suicide bomber was arrested, the police said.
Three of them – two females and a male – were spotted creeping in the dark towards the police post at about 3.50 a.m., said the Borno State Police Public Relations Officer, Victor Isuku.
Another set of twin blasts were heard at about 8 a.m., but the details are yet to be ascertained.
Residents of Maiduguri were jerked off their sleeping beds by the two echoing sounds of the first blasts. No one, including this reporter, could say from where it was coming.
“By 3:50 a.m. today, mobile police personnel on guard duty opposite the federal high court, sighted three suspected suicide bombers (2females & a male) running towards their sandbag”, said Mr. Isuku, a deputy superintendent of police.
“They ordered them to a halt for questioning. In the process, one of them detonated the IED strapped to her body, killing herself and one other male accomplice.
“The other female survivor was arrested alive and subsequently handed over to the military for further exploitation and necessary follow up actions.
“Police bomb disposal units also mobilized to the scene to detonate unexploded IEDs on the bodies of the deceased suicide bombers. The second bang was as a result of the demolition of the remaining IEDs by police EOD units. Normalcy has already been restored”.
It appears a trend that Boko Haram carry out such attacks at the weekends, especially on Fridays.
Details of the second set of blasts to come later.