By Rafiu Ajakaye
LAGOS
Nigeria has said that Boko Haram militants are massing near training camps in the country's northeast, warning that the moves could signal looming attacks by the militant group.
"[Nigeria's counterterrorism] center wishes to alert the general public on very recent intelligence reports which indicate a considerable movement of Boko Haram recruits from such locations as Geidam, Mairi and Dupcha [in Borno State] to training camps," center spokesman Mike Omeri told a Thursday news briefing in capital Abuja.
"Previous major attacks by insurgents, including the siege on the Bama and Monguno military bases, were preceded by such a massing of fighters in training camps within the proposed targets," he added.
Omeri said the group's latest moves had been alluded to in a recent video in which Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau boasted that the group currently has between "30,000 and 50,000" fighters capable of disrupting upcoming elections in Maiduguri.
The spokesman said the military had mobilized to counter any such attack by militants. He urged citizens to be vigilant and to support the army in operations aimed at restoring normalcy in the area.
"We also… restate the government's commitment to keeping the country and her citizens safe from those who seek to destroy the nation," he added.
Suicide bomber kills 8 in Nigeria's Biu
A female suicide bomber blew herself in a market in Nigeria's northeastern Borno State on Thursday afternoon, killing herself and seven other people, a security source has said.
"Eight people were killed, including the bomber, who detonated an explosive device near a market in the town of Biu," the source told The Anadolu Agency, requesting anonymity.
"More than 20 other people were injured, some of whom are in critical condition," he added.
Salu Maina, a local resident, said the bomber had approached the market in the seconds before the blast occurred.
"It would have been worse if some youths had not tried to intercept her when they saw her making suspicious movements," Maina told AA by phone, adding that casualties had included members of a local vigilante group.
Biu, capital of the Biu local government area in southern Borno State, has repeatedly been targeted by militant attacks, which have caused significant human and material damage.
