Trio of suicide bombers kill 20 at Nigerian fish market

Believed to be female, they left dozens wounded in the Maiduguri attack

February 17, 2018 05:32 pm | Updated December 03, 2021 12:44 pm IST - MAIDUGURI (NIGERIA):

Boko Haram founder Abubakar Shekau is seen in this file photo. The latest attack bears tell-tale signs of the terror outfit's hand. Incidentally, Maiduguri happens to be the birthplace of the militant group, which has increasingly used women and youth as bombers.

Boko Haram founder Abubakar Shekau is seen in this file photo. The latest attack bears tell-tale signs of the terror outfit's hand. Incidentally, Maiduguri happens to be the birthplace of the militant group, which has increasingly used women and youth as bombers.

A trio of suicide bombers detonated at a crowded fish market in northern Nigeria, killing at least 20 people, police said Saturday.

Borno state police spokesman Joseph Kwaji confirmed the Friday night attack to The Associated Press. Hospital officials said two patients later died from their injuries.

The bombers, all believed to be female, left dozens wounded at the fish market in Konduga, just outside the state capital, Maiduguri. The city is the birthplace of the Boko Haram extremist insurgency and has been a frequent target.

He got away by a whisker

Musa Bulama (32) said he was lucky to have survived the blasts.

“I came to the night market to buy fish for dinner when I heard a loud bang some meters [yards] behind me and I saw myself on the ground, and before I could pick up myself another one went off then, the third one again,” he recalled. “I couldn’t stand any longer and just laid down but everywhere was in total confusion.”

Boko Haram footprints

Boko Haram continues to carry out deadly suicide bombings in Borno state and other parts of northern Nigeria as part of its violent campaign to establish an Islamic state in the West African nation.

The extremists have increasingly used women and youth as bombers, often after abducting and indoctrinating them.

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