40 killed in Adamawa bomb blast •Scores killed as Boko Haram attacks 4 Borno villages

MEMBERS of Boko Haram, on Sunday, threw bomb at a football field, near a bar and brothel located close to a major military base in Mubi, Adamawa State.

Preliminary reports, according to SaharaReporters, disclosed that at least 40 people died in the attack at the location popularly known as “Kaban.”

Two security sources in the area told SaharaReporters that a horrendous explosion rocked the area, usually patronised by civilian and military patrons. 

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The explosion, according to the sources, happened around 6.00 p.m.

Soldiers based in Mubi frequently join civilians to eat, drink and dance at the watering hole, the sources said, adding that military commanders had warned soldiers not to stay at the joint after 4.00 p.m.

One of the sources said none of the casualties was a soldier, but the other stated that it was too early to determine if any soldiers was involved.

The bombed facility is a short distance away from the headquarters of the Special Operations Battalion (SOB) of the Nigerian Army in Mubi. 

The battalion is at the center of the counter-offensive against Boko Haram’s daring attacks on military and civilian targets.

Meanwhile, suspected Boko Haram militants launched a series of attacks on four villages in Borno State, killing several people, residents said on Sunday.

The attacks, according to AFP, hit the villages of Nuwari, Musari and Walori on Saturday, where gunmen, some dressed as soldiers and riding in 4x4 trucks, opened fire on civilians and razed much of the area, according to multiple witness accounts.

“They burnt all the villages and took away all our livestock,” said Nuwari resident, Bunu Kaloma, providing details reported by other witnesses.

He said 15 people were killed in the spate of attacks, but there were conflicting reports and it was not possible to establish a concrete death toll.

Separately on Thursday, gunmen reportedly attacked a wedding in nearby Kolma village.

“They came in after dark while a wedding party was going on and went on shooting and tossing explosives into homes,” said a resident, Bukar Mustapha.

All of the targeted villages are in the Gamboru Ngala district, near the border with Cameroon, where Boko Haram killed hundreds in a gruesome attack earlier in May.

The killings could not, however, be confirmed from security officers as of the time of filing the report, as a result of poor mobile phone network coverage.

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