Four injured, car destroyed in Ifakara bomb explosion

One of the victims of a bomb explosion at Msolwa Village in Kilombero District is admitted to St Kizito Hospital in Mikumi, Morogoro Region, yesterday. Two suspects, who are still at large, are said to be behind the attack. PHOTO | LILIANI LUCAS 

By Henry Mwangonde and Lilian Lucas,The Citizen Correspondents

In Summary

• The object was thrown by one of the suspects before fleeing, according to eyewitnesses
• The incident occurred about a month after one terror suspect was killed and 10 others were arrested in a mosque

Ifakara/Morogoro. Four people were injured  and a car was destroyed on Friday night by what was suspected to be a hand grenade explosion at Msolwa Ujamaa Village at Kidatu Ward in Kilombero District, Morogoro.

The object was thrown by one of the two strangers before fleeing, eyewitnesses said yesterday.

The destroyed car belonged to the Kilombero District council.

The incident occurred about a month after one terror suspect was killed and 10 others were arrested in a mosque at Nyandero Village at Kidatu Ward in Kilombero District where they were found with explosives and an al-Shabaab flag.

Angry Nyandero villagers attacked one of the suspects and set him on fire after he slashed a police officer in the neck with a sword.

Morogoro Regional Police Commander Leonard Paul could not be reached yesterday for comment but some Msolwa Ujamaa villagers said what occurred was a terror attack.

The eyewitnesses said the two suspects arrived at the village using a hired motorcycle, and they asked for a place where they could withdraw money from the mobile phone money transfer service.

“The suspects looked very strange and they were not settled, something that made us order them to sit down as we tried to contact police,” one villager said.

 “As we were contacting police one of the suspects tossed the explosive to the villagers, causing confusion. Then they ran away.”

Kilombero District Council Chairman David Ligazio identified the injured persons as Novatus Ngapi, the driver of the burnt-out vehicle; Thomas Majole, a militiaman; Amos Msopole and Azama Naniyunya.

He said all injured people were rushed to St Kizito Hospital at Mikumi. The village’s CCM chairman Mohammed Mkangamo said the two individuals hired the motorcycle commonly referred to as bodaboda  and asked the motorcyclist to take them to Mang’ula in Kilombero District.

The motorcyclist’s suspicions were raised immediately after noticing that the prospective passengers were willing to pay a high fare he had proposed without even attempting to bargain with him

“The motorcyclist who was identified by one name of Makala grew even more suspicious when he noticed that one of the passengers was wearing an overcoat and so when he got to Msolwa he feigned to be hungry and asked to stop and buy some food,” said Mr Mkangamo. When the motorcyclist stopped to buy food one of the passengers got off the motorcycle and ordered food for three, causing even more suspicion.

Furthermore, one of the passengers seemed to be addressing his friend who was not saying much in his responses.

The motorcyclist thus alerted people at Msolwa of his suspicions who interviewed the passengers but when they were not satisfied with their responses they sought the help of Village Executive Officer Said Changamoto who happened to be at a Labour Day function that was held at the CCM offices.

When they got at the offices they also found the council chairman who, along with a militia, started questioning the suspects