No fewer than nine travellers have been reported dead following an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attack at a bus stop in Mairari village, Guzamala Local Government Area of Borno State.
A report quoted the Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly, Abdulkarim Lawan, as providing details of the explosion.
The lawmaker said many other people were also injured in the Sunday incident and have been evacuated to the hospital.
“It is unfortunate that nine of my resilient constituents were killed by planted IEDs today while waiting to board vehicles at a local bus stop in Mairari village. May Allah grant their souls Aljanatul Firdaus,” he was quoted as saying.
Lawan recalled that Mairari village was the only village in the Guzamala Local Government Area that was resettled twice with civil authority.
He said: “The village has remained deserted again due to Boko Haram/ISWAP (Islamic State for Western Province attacks.
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Lawan said: “As resilient people, most of them who are taking refuge in Monguno, Guzamala and Maiduguri usually visit Mairari community and engage in their farms.
“Unfortunately, some terrorists who have been monitoring their movement went and planted IEDs at their local bus stop, which exploded while waiting to join commercial vehicles back to their area of abode.”
The lawmaker, who described the attack as inhumane, urged the military to rescue the local government area from the grip of the Boko Haram insurgents.
“I know that the newly deployed Theatre Commander of North East ‘Operation Hadin Kai’, Maj.-Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar and his troops are doing well in the fight against Boko Haram/ISWAP.
“Let me reiterate my appeal for the military to take over the entire Guzamala Local Government Area, which has remained under Boko Haram territory, so as to restore civil authority.”