Bomb blast kill 40 football fans in Adamawa State

• Police arrest two bomb suspect linked with Adamawa explosion

A bomb attack targeting fans at a football match in Nigeria’s restive northeast killed at least 40 people on Sunday.

“There has been a bomb explosion at a football field this evening and so far more than 40 people have been killed,” said the officer who requested anonymity in the town of Mubi, which has seen previous attacks by Boko Haram Islamists.

The policeman’s account was confirmed by a nurse at the Mubi General Hospital, who also requested anonymity, as the health worker was not authorised to discuss the attack with the media.

Meanwhile the Adamawa Police Command has confirmed 14 people dead and 12 others injured.

The Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Usman Abubakar, confirmed the incident in Yola.

Maj.-Gen. Chris Olukolade, Director, Defence Information, said that two suspects had been arrested inconnection with the blast.

He, however, said that one of them later died in the hospital following an injury he sustained during the attack.

A resident of the town, who simply identified himself as Solomon, said that the explosion occurred in Kabang area of the town in Mubi South Local Government Area.

“The explosion occurred at about 6 p.m. in Kabang area where there is concentration of beer palour operators.

“Security personnel are taking affected people to hospital. I can’t say whether there is death or not”, Solomon said.

The three months, the military has imposed 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew on Mubi town following incessant attacks by the insurgents.

Mubi is located in Adamawa state, one of three in the northeast which has been under a state of emergency for more than a year as the military has tried to crush Boko Haram’s five-year extremist uprising.

The area has been hit by far fewer Boko Haram attacks than other parts of the northeast, but the town was the site of a gruesome October 2012 massacre at a post-secondary technical college.

Scores of students were killed in their dorms, including many whose throats were slit.

The policeman said the bomb exploded at roughly 6.30pm local time at the pitch in Mubi’s Kaban area and targeted fans who were trying to leave the field after watching a local club match.

It was not immediately clear if players were among the casualties, but the officer and the nurse said it appeared most of the victims were fans.

 

Bomb blast kill 40 football fans in Adamawa State