A grief-stricken uncle of four children killed by a bomb explosion in Maiduguri said the situation has left him and his family members devastated.
A blast at the entrance gate of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH), last Monday, left many people killed and others injured.
According to the Chief Medical Director of the Hospital, Prof Ahmed Ahidjo, the facility still admitted almost 70 injured, while 25, including the four children, died from the blast.
Recounting how the incident happened, Goni said he was in his room when he heard a deafening sound.
“The first thing I asked was, ‘Where are the children?’ Because they usually go out around that time to collect free Ramadan food (alms).
“After a roll call, seven of them were not at home. An hour later, three came back. We waited for the remaining four up to 12am, but none of them showed up.
“So, we rushed to the UMTH to see whether they were affected by the blast. Unfortunately, we found them dead. We recovered their corpses and buried them the following morning,” he said.
He said the children, between the ages of 11 and 14, were put under his care by his brother to teach them the Qur’an.
Goni said, “I couldn’t sleep throughout that night, and not even the following day. But, as a true believer, God destined it to happen, and there is nothing anyone can do.”
He called on parents and people who lost their loved ones to consider what happened as an act of God.
“We must accept this tragedy in good faith; these children were entrusted to me, so I’m the most affected, but we must leave everything to God,” he said.