By Rafiu Ajakaye
LAGOS, Nigeria
Around 15 traders were killed Tuesday afternoon when a female suicide bomber attacked a market in the Gujba area of Nigeria's northeastern Yobe state, according to an army official and locals.
"A female suicide bomber attacked Wagir market in the Gujba area of Yobe state. The response team at the scene has evacuated 15 bodies from there. Seven people survived with serious injuries among other minor injuries," an army official, who asked not to be named, told Anadolu Agency.
Ishaku Mai, a resident of Gujba, told Anadolu Agency that the incident occurred at around noon, the peak time for commercial activities in the market.
"She pretended to want to buy grain when she detonated the explosive that killed her and many others," said Mai. "I saw more than 12 dead bodies before security agents cordoned off the market."
The blast came a day after six people were killed in a twin suicide attack in Maiduguri, the capital city of neighboring Borno state and birthplace of the Boko Haram insurgency.
Sources within Nigeria's National Emergency Management Agency in Maiduguri told Anadolu Agency that up to 20 villagers in Debiro village, Borno state, had their throats slit by Boko Haram militants Monday evening.
"Thousands of the newly displaced arrived in Maiduguri this morning following an attack by militants who they said killed at least 20 people, mostly women. They said the victims had their throats slit as the village was burnt down," according to an official of the relief body that is responsible for catering for displaced people.
Although the Nigerian military claims to have curtailed the activities of the militants, the last few weeks have seen them scale up their attacks on soft targets, especially through suicide bombings.
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, who has pledged to eradicate the group as soon as possible, is due to meet with his Cameroonian counterpart Paul Biya after Ramadan as part of his efforts to build a regional alliance against Boko Haram.
