Eight people are feared dead after a suicide bomber believed to be a member of the Boko Haram group, attacked a mosque in Borno State.
A civilian Joint Task Force (JTF) member, Ibrahim Liman, told AFP that the insurgent attacked the mosque located in the Mainari area of Konduga, in the early hours of Monday, where he detonated his explosives.
“The male bomber walked into the mosque at about 5:15 am (0415 GMT) while prayers were on and exploded, killing eight worshippers and injuring five others.
“Seven of the victims died in the mosque while another died on the way to (the Borno State capital) Maiduguri,” he said.
Suicide bombings against “soft” civilian targets such as mosques, markets and bus stations are the hallmark of the terrorist group led by Abubakar Shekau.
Many of the bombers used are young women and girls. However, Liman said the latest attack appeared to be carried out by a man in his early 20s.
Umar Goni, who lives in Konduga, said he was on his way to the mosque when the blast occurred and he helped to rescue victims with members of the civilian volunteer force.
“We pulled out seven dead bodies and six injured worshippers. One of the six injured died on the way to hospital.
“The bomber was disguised as a worshipper,” he said, adding: “There was no way anybody could have known his mission.”
Last week, at least six traders were killed when a convoy of lorries under military escort were ambushed in Borno State near the border with Cameroon.
There have also been a number of attacks on military convoys and bases in Borno and neighbouring Yobe state, with undisclosed casualties.
Soldiers and civilians have also been targeted in separate attacks in neighbouring Chad and Niger.
