7 dead, 13 injured in Yola IDPs camp explosion – Adamawa Govt

Governor Jibrilla Bindow of Adamawa State

The Adamawa Government confirmed that seven people died and 13 were injured in an explosion that occurred at the Malkohi Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp near Yola, on Friday morning.

The state Commissioner for Information, Malam Ahmad Sajoh, confirmed the incident to newsmen after a visit to the Federal Medical Centre, Yola, where the injured persons were receiving treatment.

Sajoh said four officials of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) were among the injured persons.

He also said that another blast was reported in Madagali, but that the casualty figure was still unknown.

“I just got the report of another blast in Madagali but as I speak to you, I am still trying to get the actual picture of the situation.

“I got the report from officials of the Adamawa State Emergency Management Agency (ADSEMA),” Sajoh said.

He said the state government would foot the bill of all those injured in the Malkohi incident.

NAN reports that following the Malkohi blast, security operatives have commenced fresh screening of all IDPs at the camp.

All the IDPs where gathered in one section of the camp as policemen, soldiers and other officials of the camp embarked on the screening.

The state Commissioner of Police, Mr Gabriel Adaji, who spoke on the development, said security had been beefed up at the camp to forestall a reoccurrence.

Adaji said it was possible that the persons that came with the explosive that rocked the camp joined the IDPs that were brought to the camp on Thursday night from Madagali.

“We suspect one of those IDPs that came newly, possibly they beat the security checks to cause this mayhem.

“It is unfortunate. We are now trying our best to see that such incident does not happen again,” he said.

The NEMA Camp Coordinator in Adamawa, Mr Saad Bello, confirmed that a total of 298 IDPs from Madagali and 17 from Sambisa forest were brought to the camp on Thursday night.