A female suicide bomber initiated blast tore through a crowded market in the city of Damaturu, Yobe state today, killing 19 people and wounding 47, the emergency response agency said.
No one has claimed responsibility for the explosion but it bears the hallmark of the Islamist terrorist group Boko Haram. “The death toll has gone up to 19 dead and 47 injured,” National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) spokesman Mohammed Kanar said.
The attack took place six days after a suicide bomber killed three policemen at a checkpoint on the outskirts of the city. And earlier this month at least nine people were killed in the city by a female suicide bomber as worshippers gathered to mark the Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr.
At least 19 people were killed in a suicide bombing in the northern Cameroonian town of Maroua also today. Since becoming president, Buhari has made a number of changes aimed at tackling the insurgency, including the replacement of his defence chiefs.
He moved Nigeria’s defence command centre to Maiduguri, the birthplace of the jihadi sect, and has worked with counterparts in neighbouring countries to set up a multinational force with headquarters in Chad’s capital, N’Djamena.
