The death toll in the bomb explosion in a mosque in Adamawa State has risen to 27, the state government said.
The government also said 56 people were injured in the twin blast in a Mubi town.
The state Commissioner of Information and Strategy, Ahmad Sajoh, made this known in a statement on Tuesday evening.
He said the 56 injured persons were on admission in a hospital.
Mr Sajoh said the blast occurred inside a mosque in Kasuwan Gwanjo (second hand clothes market).
“While condemning the satanic, cowardly and dastardly act, His Excellency Sen. Mohammed Umar Jibrilla Bindow, the executive Governor of Adamawa State, had ordered the immediate provision of medical supplies and mobilization of medical officers to the general hospital in Mubi.
“In addition, the Adamawa State Emergency Management Agency (ADSEMA) had been ordered to supply food and non-food items to the hospital to cater for victims and victims relations.”
Mr Sajoh urged people to donate blood to help injured victims. He asked residents to be more vigilant and reiterated the government’s commitment to the protection of lives and properties of all citizens.
Earlier, the police in Adamawa told PREMIUM TIMES 24 worshippers were killed in the explosion which occurred while worshippers were holding the Zuhr (afternoon) prayer at about 1:00 p.m.
‘’While people were evacuating the victims of the first blast, another explosion occurred,” the spokesperson told PREMIUM TIMES.
Eyewitnesses had earlier reported that “many lives were lost and several persons injured.”
The explosion was allegedly triggered by a teenage boy wearing a suicide vest.
Garba Habu, a local resident, said he counted over eight corpses at the scene.
‘’A boy of about 18-19 -years wearing a suicide vest was said to have entered the mosque along with other worshippers. Immediately after the prayers, he detonated the bomb,” he said.
Another resident, Isa Danladi, said he was about to leave his house near the mosque when he heard the blast
“Many people died on the spot and several others were taken to hospital with severe injuries,” he said.
“The mosque’s roof was blown off. The prayer was mid-way when the bomber detonated the explosives. This is obviously the work of Boko Haram,” he said.
Haruna HammanFuro, head of Adamawa State Emergency Management Agency, described the blast as “devastating”, saying there were “high casualties”.
‘’It was a twin-blast and the detail is sketchy but we are in touch with our partners of Red Cross and others that are helping now.
‘’For now dead bodies are being evacuated and those injured have been taken to hospitals. Right now we are on our way to Mubi,’’ he said earlier on Tuesday.
This is not the first attack on a mosque in Mubi.
There was a suicide attack last November on a mosque at Kunu Araha, a northern suburb of Mubi, which also killed dozens of worshippers.
No group has claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s carnage but many believe Boko Haram to be behind it.
The insurgents briefly overran Mubi in late 2014 as they rampaged across North-east Nigeria, seizing towns and villages in a quest to establish an Islamic state.
The insurgents changed the town’s name to Madinatul Islam, or “City of Islam” during their occupation.
But it has been peaceful since the Nigerian military and civilian militias recovered the town, which is a commercial hub and host of the Adamawa State University.
