NAN – An explosion has hit Gombe with at least three people feared dead, residents have said.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the blast occurred in Kasuwan Mata area of the town, and was carried out by a female suicide bombe.
A resident of the town, Ahmed Hamza, said the explosion killed three people and injured several others.
“The explosion obviously targeted an (anti-Kalare) office which is used by the military in the area. The bomb went off not more than 100 metres from the office,” he said.
He also said the explosion took place during the evening Muslim prayer, adding that most of those affected by the blast were Almajiri boys (street beggars) who throng the area in the evenings.
The spokesperson of the police in the state, Fwaje Atajiri, could not be immediately reached for comments.
The personnel of the Nigerian Red Cross Society and other related personnel were at the Accident and Emergency Unit of the Specialists Hospital, Gombe, to rescue victims.
The agency quoted Umar Ahmed, the Disaster Management Coordinator of the Red Cross Society in Gombe State, as saying that immediately they heard about the blast, the Society mobilised its personnel to rescue the injured persons.
A source said a girl was seen loitering around the area before detonating her explosive belt.
The source said irate youths who were at the scene, set the remains of the suspected suicide bomber ablaze, while those injured were taken to the Specialists Hospital, Gombe for treatment.
The over 21 persons who sustained various degrees of injuries were being attended to by doctors at the hospital.
