The Borno state Police Command had
confirmed 17 people including five female suicide bombers dead with several
others injured in a multiple attacks which took place in Kofa Community of
Maiduguri metropolis. Kofa is an outskirt and about 5 kilometres drive from
University of Maiduguri which had witnessed series of attacks recently..
In a press statement, Police Public
Relations Officer, Victor Isuki on Monday said “yesterday Sunday 18/6/2017, at
about 2030hrs, five female suicide bombers detonated IED strapped to their
bodies in Kofa community, which is about 8km from maiduguri town and situated
along Maiduguri- Konduga road. The first suicide bomber, detonated near a
mosque, killing seven persons. “The second detonated in a house killing five
persons. While two other suicide bombers detonated within the same vicinity,
killing themselves only. “A total of seventeen persons including the five
suicide bombers died, while eleven persons sustained injuries and were rushed
to UMTH. EOD team were mobilized to the scene and normalcy has since been
restored”. Isuku stated. The suicide bomb attacks took place near a camp for
those made homeless by Boko Haram violence in northeast Nigeria, emergency
services said on Monday. The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said
the attacks took place at about 8:45 pm (1945 GMT) on Sunday close to the
Dalori camp at Kofa village, near the Borno state capital Maiduguri. NEMA
northeast region spokesman Abdulkadir Ibrahim said two female suicide bombers
tried to get into the camp but were thwarted by security personnel. “Two other
female suicide bombers also detonated their explosives at the adjoining Dalori
Kofa village, where they killed 16 people,” he added in a statement. Earlier
tolls given by local people said at least 12 or 13 people had been killed but
Abdulkadir said three of those injured and taken to hospital had since died.
“The 16 does not include the bombers,” he told AFP. Dalori is about 10
kilometres (six miles) southeast of Maiduguri and is one of the largest camps
for internally displaced people (IDP) in the remote region. Boko Haram has previously
tried to target the camp: at least 85 people were killed in January last year
when insurgents rampaged through communities near Dalori. Residents were shot
and their homes burned down while female suicide bombers blew themselves up
among the crowds of people fleeing the violence. The latest attack is the most
deadly in Nigeria since June 8, when 11 people were killed in a rare combined
gun and suicide attack in the Jiddari Polo area of Maiduguri. Boko Haram has
repeatedly targeted the strategic city, particularly its outlying communities,
IDP camps and the city’s university. The bombings and sporadic hit-and-run
attacks underline the threat still posed by the jihadists, despite claims from
the authorities they are a spent force. Gunmen killed eight members of a
civilian militia force assisting the military on June 11 in the Konduga area,
which is on the same road as the Dalori camp. At least 20,000 people have been
killed in the conflict since 2009 and more than 2.6 million made homeless, many
of whom are facing severe food shortages or starvation.
Source: Vanguardngr.com
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