At least 18 killed in co-ordinated attacks by suspected female suicide bombers
30 June 2024, 14:21 | Updated: 30 June 2024, 16:28
At least 18 people were killed and 30 more injured in co-ordinated attacks by suspected female suicide bombers in Nigeria, local authorities said.
The first suspect detonated an explosive device during a marriage celebration in the north-eastern Nigerian town of Gwoza on Saturday.
Minutes later, another explosion went off near a hospital and then a third attack took place at a funeral service.
The suspect at the funeral service was dressed as a mourner, according to the state emergency agency.
Children and pregnant women were among those killed and 19 of those injured are seriously hurt.
"I have mobilised emergency drugs to complement the shortage of drugs in Gwoza," said Barkindo Saidu, director-general of the Borno State Emergency Management Agency.
Nigeria's president condemned the attacks saying his "government will not allow the nation to slither into an era of fear, tears, sorrow, and blood", according to a statement posted online.
No one claimed responsibility for the attacks, but Borno state has been heavily affected by an insurgency launched in 2009 by Boko Haram, an Islamic extremist group.
In the past, the group used women and girls in suicide bombings, prompting suspicions some are from the many thousands they have kidnapped over the years.
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Mr Saidu said the degree of injuries ranged from abdominal ruptures to skull and limb fractures.
Authorities imposed a curfew in the city, and the community remained on high alert following reports of another suspected bomber in Pulka, a town just over a mile (2km) away from Gwoza.
Gwoza is located a few miles from Chibok, in southern Borno, where 276 schoolgirls were abducted in 2014. Nearly 100 are still in captivity.
(c) Sky News 2024: At least 18 killed in co-ordinated attacks by suspected female suicide bombers
