Two persons were killed and 19 others injured in a suicide bomb attack at Borno State Secretariat, Maiduguri, on Thursday.

According to a security personnel at the gate of the secretariat, who did not want his name mentioned, said the incident occurred at about 12pm.

He said the suicide bomber pretended to be one of the workers of the Borno State Government who was there as part of those carrying out staff verification.

He added that the suicide bomber had a file on him to show to the security officers at the gate to the Secretariat that he was a staff.

He said, “We had to turn him back when he could not present a staff identification card.

“But to our surprise, a few metres from the security post, the suicide bomber detonated the bomb strapped on him, which led to his death and that of another person.

“The explosion equally caused injuries to 19 other persons who were rushed to the Borno State Hospital, Maiduguri for treatment.

He said the corpses of the two deceased persons have been deposited at the morgue of the hospital. PUNCH