|
Listen to article
|
Suspected Boko Haram insurgents have detonated an improvised explosive device, IED, at a Juma’at Mosque in Gamboru Ward, around the Customs area in the heart of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.
The incident occurred on Wednesday while Muslim worshippers were observing the Maghrib prayer.
At The time of filing this report, information on the incident remains sketchy.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, ASP Nahum Daso, could not confirm the blast but said he was on his way to the scene to assess the situation.
The suspected blast has already created fear among residents, especially within the Christian community preparing for the 2025 Christmas celebration.
Security operatives have cordoned the area to prevent further casualties and to allow preliminary assessment of the incident.
No armed groups immediately claimed responsibility for what anti-jihadist militia leader Babakura Kolo said was a suspected bombing.
Maiduguri is the capital of Borno state, home to a years-long insurgency by jihadist groups Boko Haram and an offshoot, Islamic State West Africa Province, though the city itself has not seen a major attack in years.
The bomb went off inside a crowded mosque in the city’s Gamboru market, as Muslim faithful gathered for evening prayers around 6:00 pm (1700 GMT), according to witnesses.
One of the leaders of the mosque, Malam Abuna Yusuf, put the toll at eight dead, though officials have not yet released a casualty count.
“We can confirm there has been an explosion,” police spokesman Nahum Daso told AFP, adding that an explosive ordnance disposal team was already on-site.
Kolo said that seven were killed.
He said it was suspected that the bomb was placed inside the mosque and exploded midway through prayers, while some witnesses described a suicide bombing.
It was not immediately clear how many people were injured, though witness Isa Musa Yusha’u told AFP: “I saw many victims being taken away for medical treatment.”
Videos taken in the aftermath and seen by The Eastern Updates showed a person covered in blood writhing on the ground, and what appeared to be bodies covered by a sheet.
A security alert sent by an international NGO to its staff in Maiduguri, advised its workers to stay away from the Gamboru market area.
