Azare Bombing: Death Toll Rises To 31

he causality figure in the last Sunday bomb explosion that rocked a busy phone market known as Kasuwan Jagol in Azare, Katagum Local Government Area of Bauchi State has risen to 31 while 30 patients are currently on admission.

However, the Chief Medical Director of Azare Medical Centre, Dr. Abduallhi Ibrahim, told journalists that the hospital recorded 17 deaths and 30 of the victims of the bomb explosion are on admission.

While giving the breakdown of the causality figure, Ibrahim said out of the 17 who died in the hospital, 14 are victims of the explosion and three are suspected suicide bombers.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), he confirmed that doctors and nurses have defied Joint Health Workers Union strike to attend to the victims of the bomb blast and that the patients are responding to treatment.

However, the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Haruna Mohammed, confirmed that one person identified as one of the insurgents was lynched by mob action.

Meanwhile, as at last night, the police spokesman confirmed 13 persons dead while 65 sustained various degrees of injuries out of which 43 have been treated and discharged and 22 others are responding to treatment.
This brings the total of causality figure of the explosion to 31 and 22 on admission.

He added that the scene of the explosion was visited  and cordoned off by Police explosive ordinance disposal unit while casualties were evacuated to the Federal Medical Centre Azare for medical attention.

Haruna disclosed that normalcy had been restored in Azare by combine security forces and patrols are being  intensified  within and outside the town.

Also, the minority leader of the state House of Assembly, Hon. Suleiman Baba, has berated the federal government for allowing the insecurity in the area persist as the recent was the third explosion in the area in one month.

He said: “Twelve killed, 64 were injured in Azare blast suspected to be carried out by a female suicide bomber. Its unacceptable triplets bomb within one month it shows failure of leadership.”

Meanwhile, state Governor, Isa Yuguda, has condemned in strong terms the Sunday evening bomb blast in Azare which claimed many lives and others were seriously injured.

Yuguda described blast as an act of terror which was most unfortunate just as he commended the courage of the youths who came out to arrested one of the suspected suicide bombers.

The governor, who spoke yesterday while reacting to the incident, promised that government would collaborate with security agents in the state to ensure that lives and property are protected, adding that the people too have complimentary roles in the fight against insurgency.

He called on the people to be vigilant particularly in areas where people are gathered for their legitimate duties as well as other social gatherings considering the fact that the act of insurgency has now taken a new dimension expressing confidence in the capabilities of the security agencies to control the situation in the state.

Yuguda then sympathised with all those who lost their loved ones in the dastardly act of the insurgents and wished all those that were injured speedy recovery assuring that prompt medical attention will be accorded to them at all the medical centers in the state to ensure that they received the best medical attention required.

The governor also called on community and religious leaders to intensify prayers for divine intervention in the situation because according to him, it was only God that can adequately intervene to bring the activities of the insurgents to a total stop while government on its part would continue to do its best to provide security to the people just as he assured the perpetrators will be brought to book at all cost.