A deadly explosion believed to be caused by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) has killed four traders and injured 21 others, leaving the families of the victims in despair.
The victims, mostly traders of the Gotala community, were on their way to the bustling Buniyadi market when their vehicle drove over the suspected IED.
The blast occurred on Friday morning along the Katarko-Goniri Road in Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe State, near the Sambisa Forest, a region notorious for Boko Haram insurgent activity.
As gathered, the bodies of the four deceased traders have been returned to Gotala for burial, while the 21 injured victims are currently receiving medical attention at the Damaturu Specialist Hospital and the Yobe State University Teaching Hospital.
However, unconfirmed reports from locals suggest that the same explosive may have previously been triggered by vigilante and military vehicles, resulting in additional casualties, although this has not been officially verified.
At the hospitals where the victims were admitted, relatives, visibly shaken by the incident, called on the Yobe State Government to urgently rehabilitate the dilapidated Katarko-Goniri road to prevent further attacks.
“It’s a dangerous path now, not just for civilians but also for our troops in the area. Something urgent needs to be done before more lives are lost,” one family member of one of the victims said.
Meanwhile, as of the time this report was filed, neither the military nor the state government had issued any formal statement regarding the incident.
