FOUR people suspected to be Boko Haram suicide bombers have been killed on Saturday July 11, 2015 morning by the explosives they were carrying in a trycle after a failed attempt to enter a large bus station in Maiduguri, Borno State capital.
Three other people were reportedly injured as the explosion from the bomb resonated all over Maiduguri at about 7.11am.
According to witnesses, the bombers went after a passenger bus that was coming out of the Borno Express Terminus filled with travellers, but they could not detonate the device on time.
The Keke-NAPEP (tricycle) later exploded, killing all the occupants, except one that managed to alight shortly after the vehicle hit the rear of the moving passenger bus.
Witnesses said the suicide bombers wanted to enter the terminus to detonate the bomb, but were stopped by security operatives at the entrance gate, who asked them to park outside, as tricycles were not allowed into the park.
The bombers made another failed attempt through the exit gate, which was about 300 meter apart.
The obviously frustrated suicide bombers on realising that they were running out of time, allegedly decided to take it into a bus that had loaded its passengers and was trying to leave the terminus.
The tricycle driver drove after the bus and tried to ram into its rear, but the bus driver sped off, and seconds later, the tricycle exploded.
“When they came initially, we suspected some foul move as the Keke-NAPEP rider came to attempt taking passengers into the station; everyone knows only cars and buses enter the park, but here we had a tricycle rider trying to ride in.
“Only a total stranger would want to ride Keke-NAPEP into the park”, said Aliyu Danmalam, a Civilian-JTF operative.
“It didn’t occur to us to quickly arrest him, rather we sent him back. He even tried going through the exit gate but later changed his mind.
“He then waited, with his passengers still ?on board, for a bus to come out before he decided to attack.
“One of the passengers on suicide tricycle was said to have escaped seconds after the rider drove his tricycle unto to the rear of the moving bus before it exploded.
“He was later arrested by youth group who went after him. But one woman and two other persons were injured due to the explosion”, said Aliyu Danmalam.
Corroborating, another witnesses, Yusuf Adamu, said the explosion occurred at about 7.10am when motor parks in the town were in full swing, with travellers joining commuter buses out of town.
Adamu said the tricycle attempted to ram into a vehicle that just came out of Borno Motor Garage, the biggest in the town, where vehicles were joined to destinations outside the town.
Adamu, who was near the scene, said the tricyclist had waited for a vehicle to emerge from the motor park and immediately sped after it, but could not catch up with it.
About a kilometer away, it exploded and killed three passers-by on the highway and left another three injured.
He said: “I was at the motor park to board a vehicle when the explosion occurred.
“The park is near the SSS office and a tricycle was targeting a bus that just left the motor park, but triggered off the explosion before it could get to bus. Four people, including the bomber, were killed.”
Three other people were reportedly injured as the explosion from the bomb resonated all over Maiduguri at about 7.11am.
According to witnesses, the bombers went after a passenger bus that was coming out of the Borno Express Terminus filled with travellers, but they could not detonate the device on time.
The Keke-NAPEP (tricycle) later exploded, killing all the occupants, except one that managed to alight shortly after the vehicle hit the rear of the moving passenger bus.
Witnesses said the suicide bombers wanted to enter the terminus to detonate the bomb, but were stopped by security operatives at the entrance gate, who asked them to park outside, as tricycles were not allowed into the park.
The bombers made another failed attempt through the exit gate, which was about 300 meter apart.
The obviously frustrated suicide bombers on realising that they were running out of time, allegedly decided to take it into a bus that had loaded its passengers and was trying to leave the terminus.
The tricycle driver drove after the bus and tried to ram into its rear, but the bus driver sped off, and seconds later, the tricycle exploded.
“When they came initially, we suspected some foul move as the Keke-NAPEP rider came to attempt taking passengers into the station; everyone knows only cars and buses enter the park, but here we had a tricycle rider trying to ride in.
“Only a total stranger would want to ride Keke-NAPEP into the park”, said Aliyu Danmalam, a Civilian-JTF operative.
“It didn’t occur to us to quickly arrest him, rather we sent him back. He even tried going through the exit gate but later changed his mind.
“He then waited, with his passengers still ?on board, for a bus to come out before he decided to attack.
“One of the passengers on suicide tricycle was said to have escaped seconds after the rider drove his tricycle unto to the rear of the moving bus before it exploded.
“He was later arrested by youth group who went after him. But one woman and two other persons were injured due to the explosion”, said Aliyu Danmalam.
Corroborating, another witnesses, Yusuf Adamu, said the explosion occurred at about 7.10am when motor parks in the town were in full swing, with travellers joining commuter buses out of town.
Adamu said the tricycle attempted to ram into a vehicle that just came out of Borno Motor Garage, the biggest in the town, where vehicles were joined to destinations outside the town.
Adamu, who was near the scene, said the tricyclist had waited for a vehicle to emerge from the motor park and immediately sped after it, but could not catch up with it.
About a kilometer away, it exploded and killed three passers-by on the highway and left another three injured.
He said: “I was at the motor park to board a vehicle when the explosion occurred.
“The park is near the SSS office and a tricycle was targeting a bus that just left the motor park, but triggered off the explosion before it could get to bus. Four people, including the bomber, were killed.”
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