A member of Boko Haram terrorists group has been arrested attempting to
detonate an improvised Explosive Device (IED) at a crowded fuel station
along Damboa road, Maiduguri, by members of the Civilian JTF.
A pump attendant, Garba Hussaini, said over 500 people with hundreds of
cars waiting for fuel when the sect member approach the crowd with 5
litres gallon, pretending to have come to buy fuel.
According to him, when one of the boys controlling the crowd tried to
prevent him from entering with the gallon, he got angry and removes a
knife, attempting to stab the boy.
“In the process, a member of the Civilian JTF noticed that, bomb was tied
round him and he quickly grabbed him before he made any attempt to
detonate it,” he said.
At the filling there was obvious fear and shock on the faces of people
waiting on the queue. The manager of the station who declined comment also
asked the pump attendants to stop selling even as some people were
following and begging him to sell the product to them.
” I did not know what happen. I only saw people running and the Civilian
JTF grabbed somebody. They carried him inside Keke Napep and head to town,
later I heard that, he was Boko Haram with bomb trying to kill people.
Actually, I don’t know why fuel should be scarce in the first place when
we have a competent president, who is also the petroleum minister. If this
Boko Haram had succeeded, hundreds of people would have gone with him,”
said Mallam Sani, who was on the fuel queue.
Another eye witness, Mohammed Umar, said that immediately the man came,
they started suspecting him, then he went back and brought a gallon.
“A lot of people were trying to bribe their way in to have the fuel and
the crowd was concentrated around the pumps. This man just pushed one of
the boys controlling the crowd from outside and was going in when the boy
held his hand, trying to stop him, and the man drew a dagger. We suddenly
saw one of the JTFs grabbed the man from behind,” he said.
“We did not hear what he was saying until we heard bomb! Bomb!! Then
everybody began to run away. They said, he was carrying bomb. For me, I
took to my heels when I saw people running. I don’t associate myself with
crowd since Boko Haram started bombing people. But this one would have
been another catastrophe.”