No fewer than 50 people lost their lives, and many others were injured, in a twin blast at Gombe central market on Thursday evening, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.
An eye witness, Malam Musa Mohammed, who is an orange seller, told NAN that the first bomb exploded at exactly 5:20 pm, and seconds later, and a few meters away, a second one went off.
According to him, the number of dead bodies he saw was about 50, though many of these were in pieces.
A member of the Nigeria Red Cross, who pleaded anonymity, also told NAN that the emergency team had counted 48 bodies, and had deposited them at the mortuaries of the Specialist Hospital and the Federal Teaching Hospital, both in Gombe.
Confirming the incidence to newsmen, Mr Kudu Nma, the Gombe State commissioner of police, said there was a bomb blast, either from a suicide bomber, or from an IED kept somewhere.
According to Nma, the bomb exploded at the central market, Sabon Layi, at the section for the sale of clothes and shoes.
“People were busy shopping, preparatory to sallah festival,”, he said, adding that the number of the dead had not been ascertained.
“As you can see, people are busy trying to save the lives of the injured; for now, we cannot tell you the number that have died”.
He said the police had cordoned off the area to prevent looting by hoodlums.
Nma called on the public to continue to maintain vigilance, and report any suspecious movement or person to the security agencies.
Get Ready Your Civil Defense do not wait before it start to happen in your Region Before you Force Your Regional/State Government For Profound Changes In Your Local Security. NOBODY WILL DEFEND YOUR LIFE FOR YOU BUT YOU. PLANS ARE ON THE WAY TO SOMALIZE THIS YOUR REGION. THROW THEM TO THE RIVER, THEY VOTED TO THEIR MOUTH, NACT, BURNING OF BOOKS AND CHRISTENING OF POLICE TO SS. ALL ITS MEANING IS THERE IN PLAIN VIEW, BRO BE NAIVE WITH YOUR LIFE AND IT IS TOO LATE FOR YOU. POLICE AND MILITARY ARE IN YOUR REGION TO CHANGE YOUR FACE AND NOT TO DEFEND YOU. WATCH OUT BRO. YOU KNOW WHERE IS THEIR GOAL BUT YOU DO NOT WANT TO TKINK ABOUT IT, IF YOU DO NOT THINK ABOUT IT, THE OTHER PERSON WILL THINK FOR YOU. THEY WANT YOU TO DISAPPEAR, BRO DO NOT BE NAIVE THE IT IS GOING AWAY BY YOUR NOT THINKING ABOUT IT….ALARMIST SAID SO. WATCH OUT!
Bro it is not going away by your not ready to think about it.