18 Killed, 42 Injured in Series of Suicide Attacks in Nigeria
30.06.2024: In a tragic incident in northeastern Nigeria, a series of suicide attacks claimed the lives of at least 18 people and left 42 others injured on Saturday. The town of Gwoza, located near the Cameroon border, witnessed three devastating blasts, one of which occurred at a wedding ceremony.
According to a police spokesman, a female attacker with a baby strapped to her back detonated explosives in the middle of the wedding, causing widespread chaos and fatalities. The other attacks targeted a hospital and a funeral for the victims of the initial blast.
Barkindo Saidu, head of the Borno State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), reported, “So far, 18 deaths comprising children, men, females, and pregnant women have been reported.” Of the injured, 19 were seriously hurt and transported to the regional capital Maiduguri, while 23 others awaited evacuation.
At least 18 people were killed and 42 others injured in a series of suicide attacks in northeastern Nigeria on Saturday, according to emergency services.
In one of the three blasts in the town of Gwoza, a female attacker with a baby strapped to her back detonated explosives in the middle of a wedding ceremony, according to a police spokesman. The other attacks in this border town, near Cameroon, targeted a hospital and a funeral for victims of the earlier wedding blast, authorities said.
The Borno State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) reported the casualty figures. “So far, 18 deaths comprising children, men, females, and pregnant women have been reported,” said Barkindo Saidu, head of SEMA. Nineteen seriously injured people were taken to the regional capital Maiduguri, while 23 others awaited evacuation.
Additionally, a member of a militia assisting the military in Gwoza reported that two of his comrades and a soldier were killed in another attack on a security post, though this toll has yet to be confirmed by authorities.
Gwoza has experienced ongoing violence since 2014 when Boko Haram militants seized the town. Although the Nigerian military, with help from Chadian forces, recaptured Gwoza in 2015, the group has continued to launch attacks from nearby mountains. Boko Haram’s raids have resulted in over 40,000 deaths and displaced around two million people in Nigeria’s northeast. The conflict has also spread to neighboring Niger, Cameroon, and Chad, leading to the formation of a regional military coalition to combat the militants.