Vice President Kashim Shettima says death toll from the suicide bomb attack in Gwoza area of Borno State on Saturday is now 31.

He said that 42 persons were brought to the specialist hospital but 14 have been discharged after receiving treatment. He said that 26 are still receiving treatment.

The Vice President, who made a personal donation to all the victims, condoled with the families of those killed by the multiple explosions.

He also conveyed the condolences of President Bola Tinubu to Gwoza people and Borno State.

The Vice President was accompanied by the Deputy Governor of Borno State, Umar Kadafur; Senator Ali Ndume; Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari; former Nigerian Ambassador to China, Baba Ahmed Jidda; and other government functionaries.

Eighteen people were reported killed on Saturday when four suicide bombers set off improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Gwoza.

Several other people sustained injuries in the attack which was one of the deadliest reported in the state in recent months. The degree of injuries ranged from abdominal ruptures to skull and limb fractures.

President Tinubu issued a statement hours after the incident, commiserating with the victims’ families as well as the Borno State Government.

In the statement signed by presidential spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, Tinubu condemned the suicide bomb blast, describing it as a desperate act of terror.

“President Tinubu describes the attacks as desperate acts of terror and a clear manifestation of the pressure mounted against terrorists and the success achieved in degrading their capacity to launch offensives,” the statement read.

Tinubu said that the “purveyors of wanton violence shall have a certain encounter with justice and that these cowardly attacks are only but an isolated episode as his government will not allow the nation to slither into an era of fear, tears, sorrow, and blood.”

The President maintained that his administration is taking necessary measures to secure citizens, stressing that efforts will be redoubled to ensure that those who trouble the nation, dispatching precious lives, and disrupting law and order are completely removed. (Channels TV)

•An injured man grimaces in pain as he arrives for treatment after a wave of suicide attacks in the North East of Nigeria, in Maiduguri on June 29, 2024. (Photo by Audu MARTE / AFP)