Two women blow themselves up at mosque in Maiduguri – command centre for military’s war against Boko Haram
At least 22 people are dead after
an attack by two female suicide bombers on a mosque on the outskirts of
Maiduguri in north-east Nigeria,
rescue officials have said.
One
bomber blew herself up inside the mosque and the second waited outside to
detonate as survivors tried to escape, said Abba Aji, a coordinator from the
civilian self-defence Vigilante Group.
At least
17 people were taken to the hospital, an emergency services official said.
Umar
Usman said he escaped injury because he was late. “We were just a few metres
away from the mosque when a loud bang erupted and all we could see was dark
smoke and bodies littered around,” he said.
The
mosque is in the Boko Haram stronghold of Umarari on the outskirts of the city,
which is a command centre for the Nigerian military’s war against Boko Haram Islamic
insurgents. In recent months, suicide bombers have blown themselves up at
roadblocks manned by the military and vigilantes that lead into the city,
indicating success in preventing attackers from reaching crowded areas.
Wednesday’s
attack during dawn prayers is the first attack on Maiduguri since 28 December,
when Boko Haram killed at least 50 people in an operation involving
rocket-propelled grenades and multiple suicide bombers.
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