Bombing at northeast Nigeria football match kills at least 40
June 02, – The bombing, in the town of Mubi, in Adamawa state, is believed to have targeted fans walking across the field and heading home after watching a match. A bombing at a football pitch in Nigeria’s restive northeast killed at least 40 people on Sunday in an area previously attacked by Boko Haram Islamists, a police officer and a nurse said.
The blast hit the town of Mubi in Adamawa state, one of three in the northeast which has been under a state of emergency for more than a year as Nigeria’s military has tried to crush Boko Haram’s five-year extremist uprising.
“There has been a bomb explosion at a football field this evening and so far more than 40 people have been killed,” said the officer in Mubi who requested anonymity.
The policeman’s account was confirmed by a nurse at the Mubi General Hospital, who also requested anonymity, as the health worker was not authorised to discuss the attack with the media.
Adamawa has been hit by far fewer Boko Haram attacks than other parts of the northeast, but the town was the site of a gruesome October 2012 massacre at a post-secondary technical college.
Scores of students were killed in their dorms, including many whose throats were slit.
It is not clear if any of the players were among the casualties.
However, a police officer and a nurse said it was thought most of the victims were supporters.
Eyewitness Muhammad Hassan said: “Women and children were caught up in the blast.”
No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
However, it came less than 48 hours after a letter claiming to be from the Boko Haram terrorist group threatened to attack a university in the town.
Mubi was the site of a massacre at a post-secondary technical college carried out by Boko Haram in October 2012.
In April this year, the Islamist group kidnapped more than 200 girls from a school in Chibok, Borno state, which shares a border with Adamawa.
press journalist for HRO media – Ignacio Damigo contributed to this report
Category: International
Subscribe
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to receive more just like it.
