At least 18 people were killed in coordinated strikes in northern Nigeria by female suicide bombers that attacked a hospital, a funeral, and a wedding, according to local officials on Sunday.
No one immediately took credit for the bombings in Borno state, which has been severely impacted by the Boko Haram insurgency since it began in 2009. Since the extremist group has abducted thousands of people over the years, including kids, there are suspicions that some of the attackers are among the women and girls that the group has previously employed in suicide bombings.
According to Barkindo Saidu, director-general of the Borno State Emergency Management Agency, the first suicide bomber set off a device during a marriage ceremony in the northern town of Gwoza, he informed reporters.
The third bomber at the funeral was dressed as a mourner, and minutes later, there was another explosion next to General Hospital, according to Saidu. Among the dead were ladies who were pregnant and children. According to Saidu, at least thirty more people were hurt, with fractures to the skull and abdominal rips among the wounds.
The attacks were described as “an isolated episode” and “desperate acts of terror” by Nigerian President Bola Tinubu in a statement.
Over 35,000 people have been killed by the insurgency, which has crossed borders near Lake Chad and resulted in 2.6 million more being displaced as well as a humanitarian disaster.
With one branch affiliated with the Islamic State organization, Boko Haram seeks to establish an Islamic state in Nigeria, the largest oil-producing nation in West Africa, with 170 million people split nearly evenly between a primarily Muslim north and a predominantly Christian south.
There have been serious worries about the security situation in the region since Borno saw a rise in suicide attacks. The city’s authorities implemented a curfew. Gwoza is close to Chibok, the site of the 2014 kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls. There are still about 100 of the girls being held captive.
The city’s authorities implemented a curfew. Gwoza is close to Chibok, the site of the 2014 kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls. There are still about 100 of the girls being held captive.
Since then, armed gangs have kidnapped at least 1,500 students nationwide as a profitable means of financing their illegal operations and seizing control of localities.
