At least 21 people have been killed and 32 were injured in a suicide bomb
attack at a mosque in the northeast Nigerian city of Maiduguri on
Wednesday, a military source and a civilian joint task force member said.
According to coordinator Abba Aji of the civilian self-defense Vigilante
Group, one bomber blew herself up inside the mosque and the second waited
outside to detonate as survivors tried to escape.
Earlier, Abdul Mohammed of the State Emergency Management Agency had
confirmed that 17 people were injured and evacuated to the hospital but
that seems to have risen to 32.
According to Umar Usman, a resident, he escaped the attack because he
arrived the mosque late. “We were just a few meters away from the mosque
when a loud bang erupted and all we could see was dark smoke and bodies
littered around,” he told The Associated Press.
The mosque is in the Boko Haram stronghold of Umarari on the outskirts of
the city that is the command center of the Nigerian military’s war against
Boko Haram Islamic insurgents.
Several suicide bombers have exploded in recent months at roadblocks
leading into the city manned by the military and vigilantes, indicating
success in preventing attackers from reaching crowded areas.
It is the first attack on Maiduguri since December 28, when Boko Haram
attacked with rocket-propelled grenades and multiple suicide bombers,
killing at least 50 people.