JTF suffers casualties in Maiduguri explosion

Two soldiers of the JTF are hurt after an attack of their patrol van

Two soldiers of the Joint Task Force, JTF, in Maiduguri, Borno State, are confirmed to have sustained injuries after they were attacked along Lagos Street in Borno State.

The spokesperson of the Joint Task Force, JTF, in Maiduguri, Sagir Musa, said a JTF patrol van was attacked with Improvised Explosive Device.

“There was a bomb blast involving a JTF Hilux vehicle at about 7:15 am today along Lagos Street in Maiduguri metropolis. It is feared that two soldiers sustained injury. Details on the incident if any will be communicated,” he said.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack though it is believed to have been carried out by the insurgent group, Boko Haram.

6 soldiers feared killed

Though Mr. Musa said two soldiers were injured, residents and eye-witnesses say about six soldiers died from the attack.

An eye-witness claimed that the death of the soldiers caused other soldiers, who rallied round the scene of the explosion, to “beat and smash windscreen of vehicles around the scene of the blast.”

Another resident of Lagos Street said the Musa Usman State Secretariat, other offices, and businesses, closed in a rush as people hurried to their houses for fear of reprisal attacks by the JTF.