Nigeria: Terrorist bombings in Maiduguri claims the lives of 22

Two terrorist bombings by female individuals at a local mosque in the northern Nigerian city of Maiduguri have killed at least 22 people during morning prayers, officials say. One of the assailants reportedly blew herself up inside the Umarari Mosque on the outskirts of the city and the second terrorist detonated her explosives outside the building as survivors were fleeing in horror. 

Borno State Emergency Management Agency spokesman Abdullahi Omar confirmed the terrorist attacks on Wednesday but refused to further elaborate. A source at the agency was, however, quoted by AFP as saying that “so far 22 people have been confirmed dead and 35 others injured.” According to the coordinator of the local civilian self-defense Vigilante Group, Abba Aji, the mosque in Umarari served as a military command center in the Nigerian army’s war against the notorious Takfiri Boko Haram terrorist group.

Although there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing, Boko Haram is regarded as the chief suspect. The group has often targeted the city since it began a bloody militancy against the Nigerian government about seven years ago. In recent months, several Boko Haram assailants have blown themselves up at roadblocks into the city that are manned by army troops and local vigilantes. Nearly 20,000 people have so far been killed and 2.3 million more displaced since the Daesh-linked Takfiri militant group began its terror campaign in Nigeria in 2009.