UPDATE: Nigerian Army Confirms 50 People Killed In N'East Damaturu Twin Blasts
Colonel Usman Sani, Spokesperson For The Nigerian Army
Two female suicide bombers detonated bombs at a screening area for Eid prayers in Damaturu early Friday morning, killing at least 50 people, the army has confirmed.
The army places the time of the explosion at 7.40am, just as eid prayers got underway to mark the end of the month-long Ramadan fast.
Spokesman of the Nigeria army Colonel Sani Usman said the two women, an elderly woman and a 10-year-old girl detonated devices at screening areas for intending Muslim worshippers at Layin Gwange, Damaturu and at "Phase One", (in front of former state secretariat), Damaturu."
At least “43 people died in the first explosion and several people were injured,” said Usman.
Seven more were killed in the second explosion.
"The situation is under control. Both Yobe State Governor and the Chief of Army Staff, sympathise with and urged the people to stay calm and be security conscious,” Usman added.
Usman noted that no amount of terrorist act would deter resolve to stamp out terrorism and insurgency.
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BREAKING: Twin Explosions Rock Praying Ground At N'East Yobe, 5 Killed
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July 17, 2015, 9:37 am Written by Reuters
(Reuters) – Two explosions struck an open air praying area in the northeastern Nigerian city of Damaturu, killing at least five people as Muslim worshippers gathered to mark Eid al-Fitr on Friday morning, witnesses said.
"I was sitting down when I heard two bomb blasts. I saw the bodies of five people and many were injured," said Muhammad Adamu, a businessman who was at the praying area, beside the main road leading to the centre of the predominantly Muslim city, when the blasts happened at around 8 a.m. (0700 GMT).
Another witness, Muslim preacher Ustaz Abdullahi, also said he saw five people killed.
Nobody immediately claimed responsibility for the blasts, but such incidents are usually blamed on Islamist group Boko Haram. On Thursday, some 50 people were killed in bomb attacks at a market in Gombe, around 200 km.
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