No fewer than nine persons have been killed in bomb blast said to have been planted by Boko Haram terrorists in Mairari village, Guzamala district in Borno State.
Borno has been the heartland of an Islamist insurgency for the past 16 years, which has killed thousands of Nigerians and driven tens of thousands from their homes.
Villagers from Mairari village were said to be waiting for transport when a bomb detonated over the weekend, exploded.
A lawmaker, identified as Lawan, who is also speaker of Borno state assembly, said that Mairari village was now largely deserted due to frequent attacks by Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province, who are also increasingly using improvised explosives.
“Terrorists who have been monitoring their movements planted IEDs at the local bus stop, which exploded while they were waiting to board commercial vehicles back to their destinations.”
Borno State Police Spokesperson Nahum Kenneth Daso confirmed the incident but said he had no details.
Bunu Bukar, a petty trader at the bus rank, said on Monday that the IED was tripped when passengers were boarding a minibus, killing the nine instantly and injuring several others.
Nigeria has witnessed a rise in insurgent attacks since January, with militants targeting civilians and military bases.
