A bomb explosion rocks a market in Nigeria’s northeastern Borno State, killing at least 47 people, sources say.
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The blast – caused by explosives concealed in a crop-spraying backpack – ripped through the weekly market in the village of Sabon Gari, around 135km south of Borno state capital Maiduguri, during peak trading on Tuesday. The report suggests that bomb was hidden in a knapsack used for dispersing pesticides.
Another AFP article pushed the death toll from the market attack up to 50, saying that two new bodies were recovered from the bushland, where they apparently died of their injuries after fleeing the market.
The Chadian leader was said to have brokered peace talks with Boko Haram but the negotiations never really happened and were widely seen as a sham.
Thousands of people have been killed since the group emerged in the early 2000s, with hundreds more killed since Boko Haram increased their activity after newly elected President Muhammadu Buhari promised to stamp out the group. “It is within our power to definitively overcome Boko Haram“.
“Late Monday night, Boko Haram militants attacked the village of Archighacha”, Bouba said.
Last Sunday, suspected Boko Haram militants killed at least four people along Damboa road, not far from the market where the blast occurred.
Boko Haram attacks continue to claim lives in northern Nigeria, where more than 1m people have been displaced due to violence.
Mr Deby’s claims that Boko Haram are facing imminent defeat will be questioned by some, given the carnage the group has wreaked in recent days across north-east Nigeria. Under Shekau’s leadership, the terror group’s mission has been to drive out all followers of Christ from Nigeria.
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Buhari’s victory triggered a wave of optimism for oil-rich Nigeria, which has Africa’s biggest population and economy but many deep and seemingly intractable problems. He said no civilian casualties were reported.
