13 feared dead in car bomb explosion

A car bomb explosion in Yobe State has claimed 13 lives, according to reports.

The explosion is said to have occurred at a military checkpoint in Fika, along the Potiskum-Gombe road.

The blast took place at about 1:45pm on Wednesday, December 31 and also left three people injured, Leadership reports.

A witness said:

“I had just passed the military checkpoint on my way to Fika town when I heard the blast around 2pm, so I rushed back and five minutes later there was a second blast in the vehicle.”

"We are people of Gumsa village of Gulani local government area of Yobe State. We were with my father and we wanted to travel to Jigawa State. I don’t know there was a bomb in my father’s bag until it exploded. My father is dead along with other passengers,” a passenger of the affected vehicle also said.

The attack was confirmed by the Yobe State Police Commissioner, Marcus Danladi who told Premium Times that the car exploded after it drove past the checkpoint.

“The people carrying the bomb inside a vehicle were the people who died. They came from one of the villages where the insurgents are hiding and the same people carrying the bomb were the same people who died,” Danladi said.

The casualty figure of 13 was reportedly confirmed to Leadership by a source at the Potiskum General Hospital who said that the victims’ corpses had been burnt beyond recognition.