Eleven others were said to be seriously injured while a residential house of an Islamic scholar, the Imam of Maikatanga mosque, Mallam Goni Modu was burnt down.

It was gathered that, the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) which was targeted at the patrol vehicle of the Joint Task Force, JTF, in the area was planted on the busy Tashan Bala Road.

The explosive device was aimed at a patrol team situated in a highly populated area of the Metropolitan City “but they were unable to hit any of our men nor operational vehicles. We heard the explosion around 9 a.m, after which we quickly rushed to the scene of the incident where we discovered that a suspected Boko Haram sect member died in the process of detonating an explosive device”. Said the Field Operation Officer of the Joint Task Force in Borno, Col. Ebhaleme while confirming the blast to newsmen in Maiduguri.

The JTF members retrieved some arms and ammunitions from the vehicle which the suspected Sect member drove prior to the occurrence of the explosion, the JTF did not however release the details of the casualties recorded. Said Col. Ebhaleme

He noted further that “we were able to rescue some women and children from one of the houses that went ablaze as a result of the explosion. Right now, there is no need to panic, we have brought the situation under control and the fire service men are trying to put off the fire that has engulfed the scene.”