Two persons were killed on Wednesday after a botched suicide attack on a military patrol van at the Customs Area in Maiduguri, Borno State.
The spokesman of the Joint Task Force, Lt.-Col. Sagir Musa, on Operation Restore Order said this in a statement in Maiduguri, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.
“At about 10 a. m on Wednesday, a suicide bomber on a tricycle targeted a JTF patrol vehicle and missed it around Customs Roundabout in Maiduguri.
“In the process, he rammed in to a moving Mercedes Benz car and detonated an Improvised Explosive Device,” Musa said.
He said the suspected suicide bomber and another civilian died instantly at the scene of the incident.
“The bomber instantly died, one other civilian also died. Two others, including a soldier were injured as a result of the explosion,” he said.
Musa said, “The dead bodies and the three injured were taken to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital.”
According to him, the task force has since cordoned off, swept the affected area and routine activities are going on unhindered.
Musa said two other suspected Boko Haram members were killed in another encounter at the Monday market.
“Similarly, two suspected members of Boko Haram terrorists who stormed the Monday Market with the intention of killing innocent citizens were encountered and killed by troops of the JTF.
“Additionally, two AK 47 rifles and 18 rounds of ammunition were recovered as a result of the incident which happened at about 11a. m on Wednesday,” he added.
