Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, has revealed that five suspected suicide bombers infiltrated the state, noting that only three have detonated their improvised explosive devices so far.
He made the disclosure in an exclusive interview with BBC News Pidgin on Friday while reacting to the series of explosions that shook Maiduguri, the state capital in Nigeria’s North-East.
In the interview, Zulum said security teams are still hunting for the other two bombers and his government is dead set on making sure their plan falls apart.
“We’ve got solid intelligence that five suicide bombers made it into Maiduguri,” he explained. “Three have already detonated their devices.
“We’re tracking the remaining two right now. I won’t say more than that, but we’re on it. By God’s grace, we’ll stop those last two before they can strike.”
The governor, whose state has been battered by one security crisis after another, admitted he was “very sad” when the news reached him in Saudi Arabia.
“As the governor and chief security officer of Borno, it hit me hard,” he said. “My prayers are with the victims and their families. I just want to reassure the people of Maiduguri and the whole state that this madness will end.”