TheCable

A member of the Nigeria police force has been killed in a suicide bomb attack that took place in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, on Thursday.

The incident occurred outside the state secretariat around 2pm.

Security operatives intercepted the bomber, a male, at the entrance of the secretariat, but his explosive went off, just as he was being questioned.

Sani Usman, spokesman of the army, confirmed the attack, saying 18 people sustained injuries, while three have been “declared dead”.

“This afternoon, combined team of Nigeria policemen maintaining security duties at the entrance of Borno State Government Secretariat, (which was known as Musa Usman Secretariat) in Maiduguri, intercepted and prevented a male suicide bomber from entering to attack workers based on suspicion,” he said in a statement.

“Unfortunately, in the process of stopping him, he detonated the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) on his body, instantly killing himself, a policeman and critically injuring another policeman that stopped him from gaining entry into the Secretariat Complex.

“Sadly, the injured policeman died later. Similarly, 18 people have sustained various degrees of injuries and have since been evacuated to hospital for treatment. Troops have cordoned off the area and evacuated all workers from the Secretariat and reinforced security.

“In addition, the Explosive Ordinance Device (EOD) and K9 teams have been mobilized to the Secretariat for screening until it is declared safe.”

A mosque in Maiduguri was targeted on Wednesday, but the suicide bomber could not gain access to the mosque.

Four persons were injured in the attack and the suicide bomber lost his life.