Nigeria: Eight Killed in Suicide Attack on Mosque

Michael Ike Dibie
AFP

At least eight worshipers were killed and eight others injured on Monday in a suspected suicide bombing at a mosque in northeastern Nigeria, eyewitnesses and residents said.

A male suicide bomber sneaked into a mosque in Konduga, a restive town near Maiduguri, capital of Borno State and heartland of Boko Haram insurgency.

“People were praying and the man appeared and none of those praying knew where he was. In the blink of an eye we heard a terrifying sound and when we rushed to help, the whole mosque was demolished and all the bodies were covered in blood and all seven bodies were under the collapsed building,” said Ali Kolo, leader of a local vigilante group.

People were praying and the man appeared and none of those praying knew where he was.

Seven of the victims died instantly, one died during her transfer to the hospital in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno and historic cradle of Boko Haram, he added.

Umar Goni, a resident of Konduga, told AFP that he was on his way to the mosque at the time of the explosion and had participated in the relief efforts.

“We pulled seven bodies out of the rubble and one injured person died on the way to the hospital,” he confirmed. According to witnesses, the suicide bomber was about 20 years old.

No group has claimed responsibility yet but residents blame Boko Haram which has previously carried out similar attacks.

The blast was the first in three months, after a suicide bombing killed five local security personnel guiding a camp for displaced victims of Boko Haram in the town.