Four person confirmed dead in Yola Explosion-NEMA

Four persons have been confirmed dead while a few were injured by an explosion at a police anti-bomb squad office in Yola, Adamawa State, the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, said Thursday.

The injured were being treated at the Federal Medical Centre, Yola, NEMA tweeted hours after the blast.

Witnesses had said earlier that many police officers were feared killed by the explosion.

The blast, which occurred shortly before noon, affected all buildings within the office of the Anti-Bomb Squad, including the State Investigation Bureau (SIB), and Motor Traffic Division (MTD).

The Commissioner of Police in Adamawa State, Mohammed Gazali, said most of the victims of the explosion were police personnel. He did not give figures of casualties.

Mr. Gazali said the blast was caused by bombs recovered from Boko Haram insurgents and warehoused by the police alongside other crime exhibits.

“Policemen were mostly affected and we don’t know the actual casualties for now as the place is not yet safe for us to go in,” Mr. Gazali said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the explosion also affected the walls of nearby Majalisa Primary School where some pupils were injured.

The state Commissioner for Information, Ahmad Sajoh, confirmed that the pupils sustained minor injuries and had been treated and discharged from hospital.
The attack threw the city into panic as many residents hurried home, while businesses closed for the day.

A PREMIUM TIMES reporter who was at the scene of the blast shortly after it occurred said security personnel warned of another possible blast, creating more confusion.

He said neighbouring buildings including the Jimeta Central Primary School, as well as headquarters of NITEL, post office, as well as the Jimeta central prison, were all affected by the blast.

PREMIUM TIMES