At least 43 people were killed on Wednesday evening when angry robbers launched a retaliatory attack on a cattle market in Potiskum after one of their colleagues had been lynched by traders.The gunmen blocked the entrances to the market shortly after sunset, hurled explosives and opened fire on fleeing people hours after traders repelled a robbery attempt and lynched one of the robbers, witnesses said.Sixty two other people were reported injured in the attack, while at least 50 cattle were either shot dead or burnt alive. A number of vehicles were also torched by the gunmen.There were conflicting figures yesterday of the dead from hospital and police authorities, and the death toll may be higher than the figures given because many corpses were taken for burial by relations.'I have counted 56 bodies at the morgue and I am sure that the death toll could rise in view of the serious nature of injuries sustained,' a nurse at Potiskum hospital said. 'The Potiskum mortuary is made up of a room and a parlour and I counted the 56 in the parlour only. I didn't go into the inner room.'But Police Commissioner Moses Onirepi said they confirmed 34 killed.It was not clear who was responsible for the attack and no group claimed responsibility, but the Boko Haram sect had carried out many deadly attacks in Potiskum before.The Police commissioner said Boko Haram must have been behind the attack because that was the way they operate.'Everybody knows the modus operandi of BH (Boko Haram): they threw explosives and used guns,' he said, quoted by Reuters news agency. 'The gunfire lasted for almost an hour.'In the initial attack at about 11am on Wednesday, gunmen stormed the market firing, leading to the death of three people while one of the robbers was caught and lynched by marketers, witness Aliyu Yusuf said.'While we were in the business, a gang of armed robbers drove into the market with a Volkswagen Golf car. They started shooting and robbed people of monies and valuables.'But people resisted and caught one of them whose ammunition has finished. He was beaten up by a mob to death and his corpse was burnt down while the remaining robbers escaped,' he said.Aliyu said at about 7pm, the robbers returned to the market and blocked all the entry gates. They then began throwing explosives and firing at people in the market.'They stood strategically by the market gates. The market started burning and people started rushing out for safety. They took that advantage and continue shooting people indiscriminately. They burnt down all the buildings, cars and structures in the market,' he said.When our correspondent visited the scene yesterday, some corpses were still in the burnt market area. There were also burnt remains of 10 cattle and 15 vehicles.'When one of these robbers was killed in the morning we were all celebrating but what people saw in the evening was terror,' Aliyu said.Another witness Adamu Garin Abba told Daily Trust how the initial raid was repelled.'A robber seized money from a woman in the market, and started moving confidently. She screamed for help, and mobs trailed the bandit and killed him. I cannot quantify the number people killed but I counted more than 50 cows burnt,' he said.A bullet in the jawAt the Potiskum General Hospital where the injured and lots of corpses were taken, hundreds of people were seen trooping in to trace their loved ones.A medic, Dr D.M. Muna, told Daily Trust that those who sustained gunshot injuries in the attack were undergoing surgery.'Most of these victims suffered bullet wounds, we already operated on some with complex problems, those suspected to be burnt by flames were also dressed,' he said.Sarkin Fawan Bula, who was shot in the jaw, was seen in hospital bed after the bullet was extracted.Livestock feed seller Malam Abbagana wept as he told our correspondent how he escaped alive.'I was about to escape through the back door when one of the bandits aimed at me, because by then the whole market was burning, the only saving grace was to hide under the livestock feed, but they threw an explosive on the feed, that was how I got burnt,' he said.Secretary of the Amalgamated Cattle Rearers and Breeders Association of Nigeria, Alhaji Abubakar Dankawu, said the attack would cripple livestock business in the area.'Security operations should be intensified to prevent a recurrence,' he said.Victims of the attack complained of lack of prompt help from security agents.'If they had come to our rescue in time, a lot of lives would have been saved,' a victim said.A concerned citizen in Potiskum said, 'Several check points were mounted, in fact the cattle market is circled by JTF check points, but upon all that the bandits unleashed terror for more than one hour without being caught.'Yobe State commissioner for Animals and Fisheries, Alhaji Bukar Idris Machinama, who visit the scene said the state government would study the situation and improve the security situation.The Emir of Fika and chairman of the Yobe State Council of Chiefs was also at the hospital to sympathise with relations of the victims.Later yesterday, Governor Ibrahim Gaidam visited the burnt market and the injured victims in hospital, where he pledged government's assistance to them.'Government will compensate the victims and handle all medical bills of those who sustained injuries in the attack and treated in the hospital,' he said.He said the attack was heinous and despicable. He said a committee would be set up, comprising senior government officials and leaders the cattle marketers, to assess the damage.
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