Explosion rocks crowded mosque in Nigeria, killing several people: Reports

The blast tore done a mosque successful Maiduguri arsenic worshippers gathered for evening prayers, witnesses say.

An detonation has ripped done a mosque successful northeastern Nigeria arsenic worshippers gathered for their evening prayers, sidesplitting and wounding respective people, according to media reports.

The blast took spot astatine astir 6pm connected Wednesday (17:00 GMT) successful the metropolis of Maiduguri successful Borno State, the Reuters and AFP quality agencies reported, citing witnesses.

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Police spokesperson Nahum Daso confirmed the detonation and told AFP that an explosive ordnance squad was already connected tract astatine the mosque successful Maiduguri’s Gamboru market.

There was nary authoritative connection connected casualties.

But mosque person Malam Abuna Yusuf told the AFP astatine slightest 8 radical had died, portion a militia leader, Babakura Kolo, enactment the fig astatine seven.

Another witness, Musa Yusha’u, told AFP that helium saw “many victims being taken distant for aesculapian treatment”.

The origin of the blast was not instantly known, but it occurred ‍in a ⁠city that has been astatine the bosom of an equipped rebellion waged by Boko Haram and ISIL’s (ISIS) offshoot successful the region, the Islamic State West Africa Province, for astir 2 decades.

The struggle has killed astatine slightest 40,000 radical and displaced astir 2 cardinal from their homes since 2009, according to the United Nations.

Though the unit has waned since its highest astir a decennary ago, it has spilt into neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon.

Concerns are besides increasing astir a resurgence of unit successful parts of the northeast, wherever equipped groups stay susceptible of mounting deadly attacks contempt years of sustained subject operations.

Maiduguri itself – erstwhile the country of nightly weapon battles and bombings – has been calm successful caller years, with the past large onslaught recorded successful 2021.