Five people were killed and 35 others injured in a suspected suicide bombing attack on Al-Adum Juma’at mosque inside Gomboru market in Maiduguri, Borno State.
PREMIUM TIMES reports that the bomb blast occurred on Wednesday evening, when worshippers were observing their evening prayers.
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HumAngle reports that the police spokesperson in Borno, Nahum Daso, confirmed the attack, estimating that five people lost their lives and 35 others sustained injuries.
Mr Daso, an assistant superintendent of police, said the police suspect that a suicide bomber carried out the attack.
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He explained that the police recovered remnants believed to be from a suicide vest and also obtained eyewitness accounts, adding that investigations are still ongoing to determine the precise cause and circumstances of the attack.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) corroborated him. Surajo Garba, the agency’s boss in charge of Borno and Yobe states, told Daily Trust that a young boy walked into the mosque with the explosives.
Worshippers who were praying outside the mosque were among those injured, as flying debris and broken glass spread across the vicinity.
Security agents and emergency workers swiftly moved to the scene, evacuated the injured and secured the area.
Mr Daso, the police spokesperson, said a police team from the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit has cordoned off the area to protect the public.
Since the Boko Haram insurgency began more than a decade ago, the city and other major urban centres have experienced similar suicide attacks in public spaces such as mosques and motor parks.
The insurgency, now in its 16th year, has so far resulted in over 35,000 direct deaths.
Some victims of Wednesday’s attack were taken to Maiduguri Specialist Hospital, while others were conveyed to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital.
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Gamboru Market is one of Maiduguri’s largest and busiest commercial centres, attracting traders and customers from across Borno State, as well as neighbouring countries, including Chad, Cameroon, and Niger.
It accommodates a wide range of businesses, such as the sale of food items, textiles, clothing, household goods, and other daily necessities.
The market also supports small-scale services like tailoring, food vending, and transport, serving as an important economic hub that often remains active into the night, sometimes until 9:00 p.m., even though the main market officially closes at 6:00 p.m.
