According to locals, eight people have been killed at a mosque in northeast Nigeria on Monday after a suicide bomber detonated his explosives.
According to AFP, The blast happened in the Mainari area of Konduga, in Borno State early on Monday morning. Ibrahim Liman, a member of the civilian militia in the area said:
“The male bomber walked into the mosque at about 5:15 am (0415 GMT) while prayers were on and exploded, killing eight worshippers and injuring five others,” he told AFP.
“Seven of the victims died in the mosque while another died on the way to (the Borno state capital) Maiduguri.”
Suicide bombings against “soft” civilian targets such as mosques, markets and bus stations are the hallmark of the Boko Haram faction led by Abubakar Shekau.
Many of the bombers used are young women and girls. Liman said the latest attack appeared to be carried out by a man in his early 20s.
Another source, Umar Goni, who lives in Konduga, said he was on his way to the mosque when and he did his best to help the victims:
“We pulled out seven dead bodies and six injured worshippers. One of the six injured died on the way to hospital,” he added.
“There was no way anybody could have known his mission.” The bomber had disguised himself as a worshipper.
While the federal government is speeding up its fight against the insurgent group, and are actively encouraging those displaced to return home, the latest attack makes the later harder.
Just last week, six traders were also killed when military escorts were ambushed in Borno state.