Two brothers, 35-year-old Sanni Muhammad and 17-year-old Bashir Muhammad, have recounted how they narrowly escaped the Maiduguri bombing that killed 23 people and injured 108 others on Monday evening.

PUNCH Online had earlier reported that suspected suicide bombers attacked three locations, including the Post Office Flyover, Monday Market axis, and the entrance of the University Teaching Hospital in Maiduguri.

The police have confirmed the attack, noting that investigations are still ongoing to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the incident.

A statement on Tuesday by the spokesperson for the Borno State Police Command, ASP Nahum Daso, said, “The scenes were immediately secured, cordoned off, and subjected to thorough sweep operations by the Police Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit, Base 13 Maiduguri, to rule out the presence of any additional threats.”

Recounting the ordeal in an interview with PUNCH Online on Tuesday, Sanni Muhammad said the bomb exploded a few minutes before they arrived at the scene at the Monday Market.

According to Sanni, his brother, Bashir Muhammad, had accompanied him to pick up some items at the market area.

“We left our house on Damboa Road around 6:45 pm or thereabout to pick up some items, including food and a cloth I purchased from a customer friend in the market. I had instructed him to keep it with one of my friends outside the premises of the Monday Market. I had also paid for the item in the afternoon, but due to engagements, I could not make it.

“Initially, I wanted to send my brother, Bashir, to claim the items. However, I later decided that we should go together because we had plans to branch out somewhere.

“When we left our house on Damboa Road, there was a brief delay caused by a motorist at the traffic light after NTA. I cannot really recall clearly because our tricycle was far behind, but I think someone’s car refused to start when the light turned green. So everyone began to complain about the brief delay because it was still Iftar time.

“Who knows if my brother and I would have been present at that exact scene if that had not happened? We would have been there because of the speed the Keke rider was driving,” he narrated.

While appreciating God, Sanni sympathised with the victims and called for increased surveillance in the town.

Following the attack, PUNCH Online reported that the Governor of Borno State, Babagana Zulum, condemned the incident.

Zulum, who is currently in Saudi Arabia for the Lesser Hajj, described the attack as despicable, cruel and cowardly, targeting innocent people in the holy month of Ramadan.

In a statement, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media, Dauda Iliya, called for increased vigilance and heightened security measures, particularly in places of worship, as the festive period approaches.

“I am deeply saddened by the explosions that occurred in parts of the metropolis on Monday evening.

“My thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims and those injured as a result of the blast. The act is utterly condemnable, barbaric and inhumane,” Zulum said.

He added, “The recent surge in attacks is not unconnected with intense military operations in the Sambisa Forest and other hideouts of the insurgents.”

The governor, therefore, assured residents of the state that the military and other security agencies are on top of the situation, adding that adequate measures have been taken to forestall any security breach in Maiduguri and across the state. (PUNCH)