Nine individuals have been confirmed deceased due to an explosion at a local bus stop in Mairari village, located within the Guzamala Local Government Area of Borno State.
The explosion, which was triggered by an IED, reportedly occurred around 11 a.m. on Saturday and left several others wounded.
Punch reports that the blast was aimed at individuals waiting to get onto vehicles at the bus stop. The local community is reeling from the incident, with many still recuperating from the trauma.
On Sunday, Hon. Abdulkarim Lawan, the Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly, verified the unfortunate event to Punch. He conveyed profound regret regarding the loss of life, referring to the victims as “resilient constituents.”
Lawan stated, “It is regrettable that nine of my tenacious constituents lost their lives to planted IEDs as they awaited transportation at a local bus stop in Mairari village.”
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He prayed for the souls of the deceased in his statement, saying, “May Allah grant their souls Aljanatul Firdaus. I pray for a quick recovery of those who were evacuated to hospitals in Monguno and Maiduguri for treatment after the incident.
Lawan elaborated that Mairari village had undergone two previous resettlements with civil authority but had become deserted again due to ongoing attacks from Boko Haram and ISWAP.
He stated, “You know that Mairari village, which was the only village to be resettled twice under civil authority in the entire Guzamala Local Government Area, has once again been abandoned due to Boko Haram/ISWAP attacks.”
The legislator remarked that numerous displaced individuals who had fled to Monguno, Guzamala, and Maiduguri would travel to Mairari for farming activities. Regrettably, terrorists who had been tracking their movements set the IEDs at the bus stop, which detonated while they were waiting to head back to their destinations.
Lawan expressed his sympathy to the families of the victims as well as to those who suffered injuries in the assault. He urged the military and other security agencies to act swiftly to reestablish safety in the Guzamala area, especially in Gudumbali (the council’s headquarters) and nearby regions that have been dominated by Boko Haram for an extended period.
He called for renewed efforts to secure areas such as Mairari village, which has lacked civil authority for years because of the ongoing insurgency.
