Fresh facts have emerged on how three teenagers allegedly attempted to blow up parts of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital with explosives concealed inside a food flask before they were intercepted by security personnel at the entrance of the facility.
The suspected suicide bombers had targeted the main hospital building to inflict what could have been one of the most devastating attacks in recent times on patients and visitors.
However, the assailants were denied entry, leading to explosions at the entrance of the hospital on March 16.
No fewer than 23 persons were killed, while 108 others sustained varying degrees of injuries in the attacks.
One of the hospital security personnel, Ali Musa, described the attackers as teenagers who attempted to bypass security protocol in a bid to carry the explosives into the hospital.
According to him, the “dirty-looking teenagers” arrived at the hospital entrance in a tricycle, popularly known as Keke Napep, carrying a food flask like relatives bringing meals to patients.
He added, “We had heard about the bomb blast at the post office and immediately tightened security at our post. We were two on duty at the time, while others had gone to break their fast.
Musa said after a while, the suspects drove in at speed, attempting to breach the entrance protocol.
“They were three in number—two boys and one rider of the tricycle. I think they were around 13 or 14 years old. They looked very unkempt. I suspected something was wrong with the way they drove in.
“Normally, when people approach, they are expected to slow down for security checks. But when the attackers came, they drove in at full speed. That signalled that something was wrong with the tricycle. So, I stopped them and asked them to go back. They initially objected but later reversed. They were staring at me with a terrifying look,” he added.
Ali disclosed that one of the suspects threw the food flask at him while reversing the tricycle.
“They were reversing the tricycle and, while doing that, one of them holding the flask threw it at me. I kicked the flask back, and it fell. I then heard a loud explosion and immediately lay flat on the ground. The impact affected my hand.
“After the blast, I tried to rush to where my colleague was standing to check on her, but I met her with a broken leg. I also saw an Almajiri boy lying on the ground.
“After I dragged the lady away, another bomb exploded not too far from that spot, so I jumped into a flower garden. Both my legs were affected,” he added.
A shop owner around the hospital area, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed Musa’s account.
“They (the suspected suicide bombers) wanted to blow up parts of the hospital,” she said.
As of the time of filing this report, there was no separate data on the number of casualties from the hospital blast alone.
Meanwhile, the Monday Market bomb blast, which occurred around 7:05 pm on the same day, may have been carried out by another suicide bomber using an explosive vest.
Eyewitnesses said one of the victims was burnt almost beyond recognition in the attack.
An eyewitness, a sales representative in one of the shops outside the Monday Market, who identified herself simply as Fati, described the experience as terrifying.
“That night was terrifying. I have never seen anything like it in my life. I couldn’t get close to the scene because I rushed home immediately I heard the explosion. But I later heard that they found a boy whose body was completely destroyed. The impact on that boy was worse than on others, so they suspected he was the bomb carrier,” she said.
Following the bomb blasts, which drew widespread attention, President Bola Tinubu directed service chiefs to relocate to the state due to the rising attacks.
Following the directive, the Chief of Defence Staff, Olufemi Oluyede, and the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Waidi Shaibu, arrived in Maiduguri, the state capital, on the morning of Wednesday, March 18.
The PUNCH