At least seven people were killed in a bomb attack at the Malkohi Camp for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Yola, the capital of Adamawa State on Friday.
Thirteen people were also wounded by the explosion.
No one as yet claimed responsibility for the blast, the first such attack on a camp for persons fleeing terror organisation, Boko Haram.
The bomb was said to have been planted inside a tent near the major warehouse of the camp where 200 displaced persons who had just arrived from Madagali Local Government of Borno State.
“So far seven persons lost their lives and 20 persons were injured in the bomb blast that occurred in Malkohi Internally Displaced Persons camp,” said Sani Datti, a spokesman for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
“Among the injured, seven were treated and discharged while 13 persons including four NEMA officials are still receiving treatment,” he added.
Datti said the bomb was planted in a tent and went off at around 10:50am.
Most IDPs are living in government-run camps, with host families or with religious organisations in the city of Maiduguri in Borno state, the heartland of the insurgency.
Adamawa state hosted over 250,000 people earlier this year in and around Yola and also received many women and children freed by Nigerian troops from Boko Haram camps.
Several cities in Adamawa also took in thousands of Nigerian refugees from Boko Haram attacks who were evicted from Cameroon last month and continue to flow in.
President Muhammadu Buhari has condemned the attack, describing it as a heinous and cowardly act.
The president, who spoke through a statement issued in Abuja by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, directed relevant authorities to take adequate measures to check future occurrence of such dastardly act.
He, particularly, ordered security agencies to tighten measures in and around all IDPs camps across the country to guard against the sort of incident that occurred on Friday.
The President noted that the terrorists were bent on causing fear and panic among the populace by detonating bombs within soft spots where hapless citizens reside.
He, however, urged members of the public not to be deterred but rise in unison to root out whatever was left of the terrorists in their midst.
“We must not let the desperate and evil-minded criminals have any respite.
“There is now an urgent need for all to be vigilant by paying utmost attention to security issues at all levels – home, work, market, places of worship, schools, etc.
“To defeat terrorism, all hands round the clock is called for, and to feed the country’s security agents with vital information to pre-empt and prevent crimes so as to forestall further insurgent activities,” the President added.
Adamawa native and former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has expressed deep sadness at the bombing.
In a press statement released by his media office in Abuja on Friday, the Turaki Adamawa said that the bombing could only have been planned and executed by persons with hearts of evil.
Atiku said it was pathetic for these agents of evil to target the thousands of already traumatised and vulnerable people mainly from Borno and Yobe who were seeking refuge in the Camp.
“Many people I know were working as volunteers in the camp, including staff and students of AUN, who are being nurtured and mentored in the best tradition of service to humanity by giving of their time, energy and at times resources to their fellow human beings,” he said.
He continued: “Today’s attack is an attempt to break the spirits of the people who came to seek refuge. The perpetrators will know no peace.
“We refuse to be broken. We will win the war against terrorism. We shall overcome!”
