No fewer than two more victims of the Gwoza suicide bomb blasts in Borno State have been pronounced dead by medical experts, increasing the death toll 31.
The two victims were said to have died while receiving treatment at the Maiduguri Specialist Hospital, in the state.
It was gathered that out of the 42 injured victims who were admitted to the hospital, 16 of them have been discharged, while 24 were currently receiving treatment in the hospital.
This was disclosed during a visit to the hospital yesterday by the Borno State Deputy Governor, Umar Kadafur, a lawmaker representing the state at the Senate, Ali Ndume, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, former Nigerian Ambassador to China, Ahmed Jidda, and others.
Kadafur, who condemned the act, said that despite the attack, the fight against insurgency and terrorism must continue.
He said the perpetrators of the act took advantage of the laxity of vigilance by the people following the relative peace achieved in the state.
The acting governor appealed to the people to be more vigilant and report any suspicious movement or persons they notice in their area to security personnel so as to avoid a similar occurrence of the incident.
He, meanwhile, announced that the state government has settled the medical bills of the victims and is ensuring they receive adequate medical attention.
The Vice President, Kashim Shettima, later made a personal donation to all the victims, condoled with the families of those killed by the multiple explosions.
He also conveyed the condolences of President Bola Tinubu to Gwoza people and Borno State.
Over 18 people were reported killed on Saturday when four suicide bombers set off improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Gwoza.
Several other residents sustained varying degrees of injuries during the attack which has been described as one of the deadliest reported in the state in recent months.
As gathered, the degree of injuries sustained during the attack ranges from abdominal ruptures to skull and limb fractures.
Hours after the attack, President Tinubu commiserated with the victims’ families as well as the Borno State Government.
Tinubu, who condemned the suicide bomb blast that crippled activities in the state, described it 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”.
Tinubu said that the “purveyors of wanton violence shall have a certain encounter with justice and that these cowardly attacks are only but an isolated episode as his government will not allow the nation to slither into an era of fear, tears, sorrow, and blood.”
The President maintained that his administration is taking necessary measures to secure citizens, stressing that efforts will be redoubled to ensure that those who trouble the nation, dispatching precious lives, and disrupting law and order are completely removed.
