Additional Coverage:
- Female suicide bombers kill at least 18 in coordinated attack in Nigeria, authorities say (newsbreak.com)
In Maiduguri, Nigeria, a series of tragic suicide bombings struck a wedding, a funeral, and a hospital in the northern region, claiming the lives of at least 18 individuals, as reported by local officials on Sunday.
The attacks, which occurred in Borno state—a region that has suffered greatly from the violent insurgency initiated by the Boko Haram extremist group in 2009—have yet to be claimed by any group. However, Boko Haram’s history of using women and girls for suicide bombings has raised suspicions that these bombers could be among the thousands of individuals, including schoolchildren, previously abducted by the militants.
The devastating sequence of events began with a bomber setting off explosives amidst a wedding celebration in the northeastern town of Gwoza, revealed Barkindo Saidu, the Borno State Emergency Management Agency’s director-general. Subsequent explosions took place near the General Hospital and at a funeral service, where the attacker blended in with the mourners. The casualties included children and pregnant women, and over 30 people were injured, suffering from severe wounds like abdominal ruptures and skull fractures, Saidu detailed.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has condemned these acts of violence as “desperate acts of terror” and attempted to reassure the public by describing the incidents as “an isolated episode.”
Photographs from the scene showed injured victims receiving medical treatment in Maiduguri, highlighting the ongoing humanitarian crisis stemming from the insurgency. This conflict has not only left more than 35,000 people dead and 2.6 million displaced, but it has also spilled over the borders around Lake Chad.
Boko Haram, which has a faction aligned with the Islamic State group, aims to establish an Islamic state in Nigeria. This country, with a population of 170 million, is sharply divided between a predominantly Christian south and a mainly Muslim north, and it is West Africa’s leading oil producer.
The recent spate of suicide bombings has reignited concerns over the security situation in the region, prompting authorities to impose a curfew in the city. These developments occur not far from Chibok, where in 2014, Boko Haram infamously kidnapped 276 schoolgirls, nearly 100 of whom remain missing. Since that time, over 1,500 students have been abducted across Nigeria, as various armed groups exploit kidnapping as a means to fund their operations and exert control over communities.