By Musdapha Ilo, Maiduguri

The National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, has dismissed reports that there was a bomb explosion inside Dalori internally displaced persons’, IDP, camp following Saturday’s horrific attack on the town by suspected Boko Haram members.

According to NEMA’s North east coordinator, Mohammed Kanar, there was, however, an explosion near the camp when a suspected suicide bomber sneaked into the midst of people running from the attack and detonated an explosive device.

Kanar said people fleeing the insurgents had besieged the camp but were prevented from gaining entrance as it was already past 6:00 pm.

He explained what happened thus: “Some of the villagers that succeeded in moving out including those in the nearby IDPs camp (Dalori Camp II) converged under a big three where people normally gathered in the evening to do menial trading activities. Unknown to them one of the suicide bombers sneaked into the midst of the gathering and detonated explosive devices killing scores of people and injuring many,” a spokesperson for the agency.”

The NEMA chief also confirmed that 65 people lost their lives and 136 injured as the insurgents decimated the village.

In addition to officials of NEMA, Police, Army, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, and Nigerian Red Cross, were all on hand to help evacuate victims to the Umaru Shehu Hospital, University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, UMTH, and Borno General Hospital.

Kanar added that villagers buried 25 dead bodies while 40 were confirmed dead at the hospitals.

Normalcy is said to have returned to the village and people have returned to what is left of their homes, while NEMA provides necessary relief materials.