Five dead in suicide bomb blast in Nigeria mosque

Boko Haram rarely claims responsibility for such attacks, but hit fits its modus operandi

At least five people were killed yesterday when a suicide bomber blew himself up inside a mosque in northeastern Nigeria, a militia member assisting the military against the Boko Haram group said.

The leader of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) in Ajiri Yala, some 15 kilometres north of Maiduguri, said the attack happened at about 4.30am (0330 GMT).

“A male suicide bomber disguised as a worshipper entered the mosque while people were gathering for the morning prayers,” he said by telephone. “He detonated his explosives. He killed five people and injured several others.”

Boko Haram typically never claims responsibility but has used suicide bombing as a frequent tactic in its eightyear insurgency to establish a hardline Islamic state. Mosques that do not ascribe to its extremist views are seen as legitimate targets, as are people and places seen to be supportive of the secular government.

On Sunday, a CJTF member manning a checkpoint in the Muna area of Maiduguri was killed and another injured when two women strapped with explosives blew themselves up.

Explosion in camp

A week earlier, 14 people were killed when three women detonated their explosives near the Muna Garage camp, which is home to tens of thousands of people made homeless by the violence.

But Boko Haram also poses a threat to the military, despite government claims the group has been weakened to the point of defeat by a sustained counter-insurgency.

Last week, at least 15 soldiers were killed in a raid on a military camp north of Damaturu, the capital of Yobe state bordering Borno.