Vice President Kashim Shettima has confirmed that the death toll from Saturday’s suicide bomb attack in the Gwoza area of Borno State has risen to 31. He also reported that 42 individuals were brought to the specialist hospital, with 14 subsequently discharged after receiving treatment. Currently, 26 victims are still undergoing medical care.
During his visit, the Vice President made a personal donation to all the victims and extended condolences to the families of those killed by the multiple explosions. He also conveyed the condolences of President Bola Tinubu to the people of Gwoza and the Borno State Government.
Accompanying Shettima were the Deputy Governor of Borno State, Babagana Kingibe; Senator Ali Ndume; Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Senator Abubakar Kyari; former Nigerian Ambassador to China, Baba Ahmed Jidda; the Director General of NEMA, and other government officials. Initially, 18 fatalities were reported when four suicide bombers detonated improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Gwoza, making it one of the deadliest attacks in the state in recent months.
The attack resulted in various injuries, ranging from abdominal ruptures to skull and limb fractures. President Tinubu, in a statement issued hours after the incident, commiserated with the victims’ families and the Borno State Government. The statement, signed by presidential spokesman Ajuri Ngelale, condemned the attack as a desperate act of terror.
“President Tinubu describes the attacks as desperate acts of terror and a clear manifestation of the pressure mounted against terrorists and the success achieved in degrading their capacity to launch offensives,” the statement read.
Tinubu vowed that the perpetrators of this violence would face justice, asserting that such cowardly attacks would remain isolated incidents. He emphasized that his administration would not allow the nation to descend into an era of fear, sorrow, and bloodshed. The President reiterated his commitment to securing the citizens, promising that efforts will be intensified to ensure those responsible for dispatching precious lives and disrupting law and order are completely eradicated.
