Bomb blast rocks Maiduguri as five die in fresh Ibadan violence

Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Hafiz Ringim

Five persons were feared dead when gunmen suspected to be members of the Oyo State Council of the National Union of Road Transport Workers engaged in a shootout around Iwo Road area of Ibadan, the state capital on Monday.

In a separate incident in Maiduguri, a bomb targeted at a military patrol, exploded on Monday morning. No casualty was, however, recorded.

The Ibadan violence also spread to Ojoo area as residents scampered to safety. It was a continuation of the leadership tussle in the union.

Security operatives have already been drafted to the troubled area.

Alerts about the violence spread through social media on Monday morning.

Properties valued at millions of naira and over 50 persons have been killed in clashes between NURTW factions in Ibadan.

Meanwhile, the Maiduguri bomb caused damage to a vehicle but no injuries to the military patrol. It was blamed on the outlawed Boko Haram sect, Agence France Presse reports.

”There was a bomb blast this morning around 7.30 targeting one of our patrol teams in the city,” said Abubakar Abdullahi of the blast in the city of Maiduguri, where a series of such attacks has occurred.

”One of our vans was substantially damaged, but none of our men were injured. We made three arrests of suspects in connection with the attack.”

Referring to the Islamist sect blamed for dozens of killings in the northeast, Abdullahi said, ”The primary suspect is Boko Haram.”

The attack follows a set of bomb blasts that ripped through a beer garden at a military barracks in the northern city of Bauchi late on Sunday.

At least 10 people were killed in those blasts, which occurred hours after President Goodluck Jonathan was inaugurated.

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