Bomb Blast Kills 5 Solders, 35 Civilians In Mubi

About five soldiers and 35 other civilians were feared killed in a busy junction at Marrabar Mubi, about 18 kilometres from Mubi town when a bomb planted by the roadside went off, local sources say.
Mubi was recently recaptured by Nigerian troops and local hunters.

Reports from the area indicate that the incident happened at about 7pm when a detachment of Nigerian troops and local hunters were conducting routine supervision of the areas. Five local hunters in the convoy reportedly sustained injuries and were taken to Adamawa Specialist Hospital where they were treated and discharged.

Military sources who confirmed the incident and said only five soldiers were killed while dozens of others sustained various degrees of injuries.

A resident of Mubi who does not want his name mentioned said he heard a loud bang as the military convoy was moving around to conduct routine surveillance, causing panic as residents feared that the insurgents were raiding the town again.

“The loud bang we heard sparked apprehension as many thought that Boko Haram insurgents had launched another offensive against the Nigerian troops and local hunters who are now in control of the town.


“Many people hurriedly ran to their homes while others who were anxious ran into nearby bushes for fear of being hit by bullets or trapped by the insurgents,” he said.


A witness, Abubakar Adamu, a mechanic who narrowly escaped death in the blast, said the explosion set several buses ablaze at the area.

“There were bodies everywhere on the ground,” Adamu said.

As a result of the development, security operatives have modified the existing curfew in the recaptured towns of Hong, Gombi and Mubi.