Twelve persons have been killed in a suicide bomb explosion in front of local cinema near Konduga fish market, Konduga Local Government Area of Borno State.
Also, scores of residents have been injured during the Friday night attack.
Konduga lies 36 kilometres from the Borno State capital, Maiduguri.
Our correspondent reports that many victims of the attack are currently being treated at Maiduguri Specialist Hospital, while heavy security operatives have been drafted to the bombed location.
Confirming the incident, the spokesperson of the police, Borno State Command, Nahum Kenneth Daso, said the female suicide bomber strapped her body with IEDs, infiltrated the civilian crowd and detonated it.
“Yes, there was a suicide attack in Konduga around 8:pm and some people lost their lives and others sustained varying degrees of injury,” he said.
A local source told our correspondent that the attack took place at the fish market around 9pm on Saturday.
“We were bargaining a fish when we heard a loud sound that later turns out to be a suicide bomb attack. It was a gory sight,” he said.
No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, but many local and security sources have linked the bombing to Boko Haram insurgents.
The attack came barely 48 hours after the military repelled attacks by the Boko Haram insurgents in the Gwoza and Kukawa local government areas of the state.
Attack cowardly – Tinubu
President Bola Tinubu has expressed anguish over the suicide bombing in Konduga, Borno State, at the weekend, describing the attack as “cowardly”.
He also directed the security agencies to clear the Boko Haram remnants.
Speaking through Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to the President, Information and Strategy, Tinubu mourned those who lost their lives in the attack.
He urged security agencies to double their efforts in routing remnants of the Boko Haram insurgents who resort to attacks on soft targets as a diversionary tactic.
President Tinubu condoled with the government and people of Borno State over the incident and directed the National Emergency Management Agency to support survivors.
Timeline:
On January 30th, 2024, multiple suicide bombers had attacked wedding guests, hospital and a funeral location in Gwoza, killing 18 people and injured scores of people.
On July 31, 2024, a suspected Boko Haram suicide bomber detonated a bomb at a marketplace, killing 19 people in Kauri, a rural community in the Konduga area of Borno State.
December 24, 2024, a suicide bomber sneaked into a group of mourners at Dalori, near Maiduguri and detonated an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) killing two mourners and injuring three.
On January 26, 2025, at least 27 Nigerian soldiers were killed in a suicide bombing attack by terrorists during the military ground offensive by the Nigerian troops in Gujba LGA of Yobe State.
On January 16, 2017, the suicide bomber had killed a professor and four others in an attack at University of Maiduguri Mosque, 20 others were said to have sustained various injuries.
5 killed as bomb explodes in Kano
Meanwhile, no fewer than five people have been killed by a suspected explosion involving a military-grade mortar bomb in Kano.
Fifteen others sustained varying degrees of injuries.
Daily Trust reports that the incident, which occurred in the early hours of Saturday, caused panic in the affected area and drew emergency responders to the scene, including security personnel and medical teams.
The State Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Adamu Bakori, who arrived at the scene shortly after the explosion, said the blast might have originated from a military ordnance believed to have been improperly handled or transported.
“I received a call that something serious had happened. When I arrived, I found that it was a suspected explosion—possibly a military mortar bomb. Fifteen people were injured, and unfortunately, five died,” he said.
He added that the victims were quickly evacuated, with some taken to nearby hospitals.
“The situation is still under investigation, but we understand the vehicle involved may have come from Yobe State.
“Preliminary findings suggest the explosive material was being transported by a trailer, but it remains unclear whether the vehicle was carrying military personnel or contractors,” he added.
He said authorities have yet to confirm the exact cause of the explosion or the ownership of the explosives.
“Security agencies are currently investigating the incident. The facts will be clearer once the investigation is completed,” the commissioner said, urging the public to remain calm.
DAILY TRUST.
