A female suicide bomber has killed over 10 persons and injured scores at a local food joint in the Konduga Local Government Area of Borno State.
The suicide bomb attack which also left the female bomber charred, occurred on Friday night around 10pm.
According to the spokesperson for the Borno State Police Command, ASP Nahum Daso, over 10 people died in the attack.
“Around 22:00 in Konduga, somebody invaded a gathering with a bomb yesterday, killing over 10 persons,” Daso said.
According to AFP, late on Friday, the woman allegedly detonated the explosives strapped to her body at a haunt for vigilantes and local hunters assisting the Nigerian military in fighting “jihadists” in the town of Konduga.
“We lost 20 people in the suicide attack which happened yesterday around 9:15 pm (2015 GMT) while our members were hanging out near the fish market,” said Tijjani Ahmed, the head of an anti-jihadist militia in Konduga district,” a militia told AFP.
Konduga is about 40 kilometres (25 miles) from Maiduguri, the capital of the northeastern state of Borno.
Surrounding villages have been repeatedly targeted by suicide bombers said to be acting for Boko Haram, a group of armed Islamic militants that has been active in the area for at least 16 years.
Konduga town itself had seen a lull in such attacks in the past year.
“Eighteen people died on the spot, while 18 others were injured. Two more died in hospital, raising the death toll to 20,” Ahmed said.
Sixteen were wounded, with 10 of them nursing severe injuries in two hospitals in Maiduguri, he said.
– Crowded fish market –
The dead were buried in a mass funeral on Saturday, an AFP reporter saw.
Corpses wrapped in white cloths — some covered in bamboo mats — were laid out in rows on the ground on wooden biers ahead of the burial.
The alleged bomber was dressed as a local heading to the crowded nearby fish market.
She detonated her explosives as soon she reached the shed used by the militia fighters as a hangout, said militia member Ibrahim Liman.
He gave the same toll as Ahmed.
Borno state police spokesman Nahum Daso told AFP 10 bodies had been recovered from the “suicide attack”.
He said the toll could be higher as “details are sketchy”.
Konduga fish market, which is usually busy at night, has been the target of a series of suicide attacks in the past.
“I was in the market to buy fish for dinner when I heard a loud bang some metres behind me,” Konduga resident Ahmed Mallum said.
“I was flung to the ground and I couldn’t stand. I just lay down,” Mallum said.
The conflict between the authorities and Boko Haram has been ongoing for 16 years.
In that time, more than 40,000 people have died and around two million been displaced from their homes in the northeast, according to the United Nations.
The violence has spread to neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon, prompting a regional military coalition to fight armed militant Islamic groups.
Meanwhile, Vice-President Kashim Shettima has condemned the suicide bombing attack that led to deaths at a local food joint in Konduga.
In a statement on Saturday, Shettima, described the incident as a heinous act of terrorism against innocent civilians.
He urged relevant agencies to expedite investigations into the incident and ensure that victims and families of the deceased receive urgent support.
Shettima, who commiserates with the families of the victims and the people of Borno, expressed the Federal Government’s commitment to bringing the perpetrators to justice.
He assured that the Federal Government will not relent in its efforts to ensure that those responsible for the despicable act face the full weight of the law.
“Our hearts go out to the families who have lost loved ones in this senseless act of violence.
” The government stands with them in this difficult time and will provide all necessary support.
“The administration of His Excellency, President Bola Tinubu, remains committed to restoring lasting peace and security to the Northeast and all parts of Nigeria.
“We will not allow our enemies to undermine the progress we have made in degrading their capabilities,” Shettima said.
Additional report: NAN.
