Six persons have been confirmed dead with an unspecified number injured following a bomb explosion that rocked a drinking bar in Mashaya market, Iware Community located in Ardo-Kola Local Government Area of Taraba State on Tuesday.
The blast occurred in a crowded open-air moonshine bar in the town of Iware.
The Anti-bomb squad of the Nigeria Police Force were at the scene of the incident combing the area for a possible bomb detonation.
Meanwhile jihadists affiliated to the Islamic State have claimed responsibility for the attack.
In a statement released in Arabic on Wednesday, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) said it had detonated the bomb, “killing and wounding nearly 30 Christians and damaging the bar.”
The statement, translated by SITE Intelligence which monitors jihadist activities worldwide, said the attack was “revenge” for the death of two of the group’s leaders, without giving further details.
Taraba State Governor Darius Ishaku, on Thursday, condemned the bomb attack, describing it as unprovoked aggression against innocent people.
In a statement, the governor’s media aide, Bala Abu, extended the condolences of the state government to the victims and families of those who died during the attack.
The governor asked security agencies “to go after the perpetrators of this heinous crime and to make them pay for their sins”.
While sympathising with the families of those killed in the attack, Ishaku promised that his administration would assist the injured and those receiving treatment in hospitals.
He equally asked residents of the state “to be vigilant always and to report strange visitors to their communities promptly to security agencies and traditional authorities in their communities”.
