Suicide bomber kills 17 in Maiduguri around Post office area

At least 17 people were killed when a suspected suicide bomber detonated a bomb at the popular GSM Market near the post office in Maiduguri on Tuesday.

Survivors told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the incident occurred at about 14:00, shortly after the Zuhur prayers.

Alhaji Lawan Tanko, Commissioner of Police in the State, confirmed the blast.

"It is true that we had a blast at the GSM market after a suicide bomber driving in a firewood seller's vehicle detonated his bomb around 13:00.

"Security agents rushed to the scene and cordoned off the place to restore normalcy.

"We counted about 17 dead bodies as at 14:30 but the evacuation is ongoing. We also counted five injured persons that were carried to hospital."

He said that the casualties included a Traffic Warder who sustained injuries.

He said he had instructed his men to visit hospitals in the state capital to get comprehensive details of the casualties of the blast.

Tanko said that the police had also fortified security in all public places to prevent any incident in the state capital.

A Red Cross official who helped in evacuating the victims, Malam Ibrahim Mubi, confirmed the development, saying the he could not give the actual number of the casualties at the time.