A female suicide bomber on Wednesday detonated a bomb in front of the Federal College of Education Library in Kotangora, Niger State, killing two students and leaving several students injured.
The blast, which occurred at 2.30pm, claimed the live of the female bomber.
The National Business and Technical Examination Board was organising its 2014 final examinations in the big auditorium when the bomb went off, thus causing a pandemonium in the college.
The suicide bomber who wore hijab was said to be running towards the library when the bomb exploded thereby causing students to scamper for safety. Some jumped out of the lecture rooms through the windows and scaled the institution’s fence to escape into safety.A student, Naomi Gana, said, “I am still in shock because after I finished my exams, I sat under the tree waiting for my friend when the bomb exploded. I saw the bomber, she wore hijab. I saw her running towards the library and thank God before she got to the entrance the bomb went off. The other girl, I am sure, was just unlucky because she is a student who was just walking by when the bomb exploded.”
Another student who spoke with our correspondent on the telephone but refused to give his name, said, “Some students got injured while trying to escape. Presently, about four people are injured out of which one broke his leg as a result of the ensuing stampede.
“I thank God the bomb did not take many lives because the bomber’s target was the school library but fate met her when the bomb went off leaving her and two other female who just finished taking their examinations dead.”
But the Niger State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ibrahim Gambari, who confirmed the incident, said it was only the female bomber that died. He said only three persons were injured.
Gambari said that police had drafted the men of the bomb detection unit to the scene of the incident for investigation.
Gambari also said that conventional policemen were also drafted to guide the area affected as investigation commenced.
Also, the Governor of Niger State, Babangida Aliyu, has condemned the blast, saying it is dastardly and condemnable.
In a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Israel Ebije in Minna, the governor said the only casualty was the female attacker.
Aliyu urged the people of Kontagora and indeed Niger State to remain calm, adding that the blast could not be linked to any terror organisation yet.
He added that the bomber masqueraded as a beggar.
Meanwhile, local hunters claimed on Wednesday that they killed 80 members of the dreaded Boko Haram sect and recaptured Mahia area of Adamawa State.
The hunter, who spoke anonymously to one of our correspondents on Wednesday, said they mobilised hunters from surrounding towns to engage the insurgents and they were successful in recapturing their town.
According to him, “We fought gallantly, killed 80 members of the insurgents and recaptured Mahia Local Government headquarters from their control.”
He boasted that if given the chance by the military authorities they would have defeated the insurgents from all the captured area of Adamawa and other states.
He said, “The military kept telling us that we cannot be allowed to go after the insurgents since we are not legally constituted. We can only appeal to the military authorities to scrutinise us and authorise us to face the Boko Haram insurgents in a battle which I believed will defeat the insurgents and regain our land.
“If the military can authorised us and give us back-ups, we will wipe out the insurgents because we know their hideouts and if it is juju (charms), we will match them for it.”
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