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Three killed in Nigeria suicide bomb attack
KANO, Nigeria, April 7, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Three people died and more than 30
injured in a twin suicide blast in the northeastern Nigerian city of
Maiduguri, militia sources and residents told AFP Sunday.
Two female bombers late Saturday detonated their explosives among a crowd
in Muna Dalti on the outskirts of the city, the birthplace of the Boko Haram
jihadist group.
“They came around 8:00 pm (1900 GMT) and detonated their suicide vests,”
Umar Ari, a local militia leader, said.
“They killed three people and seriously injured 33 others,” said Ari, who
was involved in the evacuation of victims.
Residents gathered Sunday morning for the funeral of the three victims.
The scene of the bombings, a popular night time venue for residents, has
been repeatedly targeted by Boko Haram suicide attacks, said resident Gremah
Umar.
The area houses a sprawling camp for thousands of people displaced by Boko
Haram violence.
The attacks there were largely blamed on the Boko Haram faction loyal to
longtime leader Abubakar Shekau, notorious for suicide attacks on civilian
targets including schools, mosques and motor parks.
Another faction affiliated to the Islamic State focuses on attacks against
military targets.
Boko Haram’s decade-long violence has killed 27,000 people in the northeast
abd displaced another 1.8 million from their homes, creating a dire
humanitarian crisis.
The conflict has spread to neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon, prompting
a regional military response to combat the jihadist group.
BSS/AFP/FI/ 1726 hrs