Death toll in Nigeria suicide bombing rises to 25

LAGOS, Nigeria (3rd UPDATE) – The death toll in a suicide attack by female bombers at a mosque in the northeastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri on Wednesday, March 16, has risen to 25, a regional official said Thursday, March 17.

“Twenty-two people died immediately following the blast and 3 others died later in the hospital, bringing the total number of deaths to 25,” said Mohammed Kanar, the northeast coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).

“This is apart from the two suicide bombers who also died,” he said on local television.

Kanar said NEMA has begun to provide relief materials to the families of those affected by Wednesday’s attack.

The bombing, carried out by two women disguised as men, hit the Molai district of Maiduguri, the birthplace of Boko Haram which has been repeatedly targeted by the Islamists in the past.

The attack was only the second this month in northeastern Nigeria and came after 4 raids and suicide bombings in February and 8 in January believed to be the work of Boko Haram – a marked fall since last year.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility but Wednesday’s bombing bore all the hallmarks of the Islamic State affiliate, whose insurgency has left at least 17,000 people dead since 2009. – Rappler.com