President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has strongly condemned the bomb attacks that resulted in the deaths and maiming of several residents of Gwoza local government area of Borno State.
The president described the attacks as desperate acts of terror and a clear manifestation of the pressure mounted against terrorists and the success achieved in degrading their capacity to launch offensives.
In a statement by presidential spokesman Ajuri Ngelale, the president declared that the purveyors of wanton violence shall be served justice and that these cowardly attacks are only isolated episodes as his government will not allow the nation to slither into an era of fear, tears, sorrow, and blood.
The president stated that his administration was taking necessary measures to secure the citizens, and stressed that efforts would be redoubled to ensure that those who trouble the nation, dispatching precious lives and disrupting law and order are completely removed.
President Tinubu condoled with the victims of the attacks, the families of the deceased, as well as the government and people of Borno State.
Meanwhile, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has told the federal government not to allow the North East region to slide back into a "theatre of terrorism and extreme violence."
"Unfortunately, much of the pushback that had been achieved against the Boko Haram terror sect is being cancelled," Atiku said on his X handle, faulting the federal government for not holding firmly on the frontline.
On its part, the US Mission in Nigeria, in a statement posted on its X handle, described the Borno bomb attacks as "acts of violence that show a cruel and heartless disregard for human life."
"We offer our deepest condolences to the families and friends of those killed and wish a full recovery to the injured," it said.
Death Toll Rises To 21, 41 Injured
The number of casualties in the suicide bomb attacks in Gwoza town of Gwoza local government area on Saturday has risen to 21, while 40 others were confirmed to have sustained various degrees of injuries.
LEADERSHIP recalls that the state police public relations officer (PPRO), ASP Nahum Daso, had on Saturday confirmed eight persons dead, and 15 others sustaining critical injuries in the attacks.
An update by the director general of Borno State Emergency Management Agency (BOSEMA), Dr Barkindo Saidu, which was made available to journalists on Sunday, revealed that the figure of the dead as of Saturday night had risen to 18, while the 19 who sustained various degrees of injuries were undergoing treatment at hospitals in Maiduguri.
However, by the same Sunday, three more wounded persons were confirmed dead, thus bringing the total number of deaths to 21, while 41 others, including those who were later evacuated from Gwoza, are still recuperating at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) and State Specialist hospital in Maiduguri.
Dr. Barkindo Saidu said that at about 3pm on Saturday, the first bomb blast in Gwoza occurred, which was detonated by a female suicide bomber amid a marriage ceremony celebration, adding that it affected more than 30 persons with various levels of injuries and instant deaths.
He said another blast occurred around General Hospital in the same town some minutes later.
Northern Governors Condemn Attacks
Governor Inuwa Yahaya, chairman of the Northern States Governors' Forum (NSGF), has expressed deep condolences to the victims, government and people of Borno following the recent tragic suicide attacks in the Gwoza local government area of the state.
He stated this in a statement signed by Alhaji Ismaila Misili, director-general of Press Affairs, Government House, Gombe on Sunday.
Yahaya, who is also the Governor of Gombe, strongly condemned the heinous act, which resulted in the loss of innocent lives and left many injured.
He described the attack as cowardly and emphasised that such acts of terror have no place in a peaceful and progressive society.
"These cowardly attacks by bloodthirsty terrorists will never break the spirit of the peace-loving people of Northern Nigeria and our great nation," he said.
The governor acknowledged the relentless efforts of President Bola Tinubu's administration in combating terrorism and the pressure being mounted against the criminal elements.
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Security Operatives Arrest 2 Female Bombers
Two female suicide bombers have been intercepted in connection with the detonation of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Gwoza local government area of Borno State on Saturday, authorities said on Sunday.
A local government official, who confirmed this to LEADERSHIP, said 30 of the female suicide bombers were sent into Gwoza to detonate the IEDs at different locations within the area.
According to the source, only four suicide bombers had carried out the nefarious task so far.
She explained that one of the female bombers that came from Pulka axis was responding to military interrogation at the checkpoint when she panicked and detonated the IED, killing herself, a soldier and a civilian JTF member.
It was gathered that the women who got into Gwoza came from different locations, some from Pulka and others from the Mandara mountains.
Security operatives were on the lookout for the remaining would-be suicide bombers to avert a disaster.
