Nigeria unrest: Boko Haram attack toll rises to 60

This file image taken from a video posted by Boko Haram sympathisers shows the leader Imam Abubakar Shekau. The group carried out an attack in Nigeria recently, killing at least 60.

The death toll from an attack by Islamist group Boko Haram in northeastern Nigeria has risen to 60, local media reported on Tuesday.

Forty four deaths were initially reported, following the attack on Muslim worshippers at a mosque in Konduga village, near Borno State’s capital Maiduguri.

Military authorities in the northwestern State of Sokoto said they have apprehended 20 Boko Haram members, including one of its kingpins, Malam Mubarak.

The suspects are being interrogated about their involvement in the attack, Sokoto military spokesperson Musa Yahay said.

Nigerian security agencies are on high alert following intelligence reports that said Boko Haram planned to carry out bombings after the end of Ramadhan, on August 7, 2013. Borno is one of three States that has been placed under a state of emergency in May to curb violent attacks.

Boko Haram — which means “western education is sinful” — has flourished due to growing discontent in the West African country, especially among minorities and the rural poor.