BOKO Haram has stepped up its reign of terror across Nigeria in defiance of the international outcry over its abduction of 234 schoolgirls in Borno State with the brutal slaughtering of about 118 persons in Jos yesterday as it set off two car bombs.
After it kidnapped the girls from Government Girls Secondary School Chibok in Borno State, Boko Haram has become the subject of international condemnation.
However, despite the horror at its acts and calls for the sect to negotiate with the government, Boko Haram has remained defiant and stepped up its gruesome campaign of terror.
Yesterday, it set off two bombs in Jos, the Plateau State capital, detonating them at the Terminus Market in the city centre. According to National Emergency Management Agency officials, the casualty rate of the blasts was catastrophic and bodies are still being counted to ascertain the total number of dead.
According to eyewitness accounts, the first explosion went off around 2.30pm, while the second explosion occurred about 30 minutes later.
Apparently, the second blast killed more people than the first, as many residents and traders, who had fled the scene following the first explosion, tried to join rescue agencies to save the injured and retrieve dead bodies.
At least five residents who were suspicious of a mysterious van parked in their area reportedly informed police officers but no one arrived at the scene and nothing was done until the car exploded some hours afterwards.