[Photo: Muhammadu Buhari President of Nigeria promises to defeat Boko Haram. Image by Anadolu Agency]
By Rafiu Oriyomi Ajakaye
LAGOS, Nigeria (AA): Five people were killed in suicide attacks in the northeastern city of Maiduguri Wednesday, where the Nigerian vice president was making a surprise visit, according to security and local sources.
Maiduguri is the provincial capital city of Nigeria’s northeastern Borno state, which has been suffering from a Boko Haram insurgency.
“At around 1pm today, two female suicide bombers struck near a hospital in Mule, a suburb of Maiduguri. Three civilians died along with the bombers themselves,” Bello Abu Fari, a member of the local vigilante network, told Anadolu Agency. “Around ten others sustained some injuries and have been taken to hospital.”
A police officer who asked not to be named confirmed the incident.
“We heard the suicide blasts just as Vice President Yemi Osinbajo was visiting Maiduguri. It involved two suicide bombers. A total of five people died, including the bombers,” he said.
No group has claimed responsibility, but immediate suspicion falls on Boko Haram, which has waged a violent insurgency in the region since 2009.
