An Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) suspected to have been planted in a Mosque at Gamboru Main Market in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital exploded when worshippers were conducting their Magrib prayers at about 6:pm.
Sources said, the Mosque usually hosts many people including traders and sellers who patronizes the Gamboru market on daily basis.
This explosion targeting a worship centre is the latest, as Maiduguri residents had not witnessed any bomb blast within the city.
Some of the worshippers, who escaped the attack, claimed it was a suicide bombing, reporting that the assailants sneaked into the mosque and detonated the bomb during the Maghrib congregational prayer.
“The bomber detonated when the first raka’at of the Maghrib prayer was observed. Many worshippers died, others sustained various injuries,” said an anonymous source.
However, there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but among the suspects will be the Boko Haram armed group, which has launched a large number of suicide attacks in region over the past few months.
The Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Keneth Daso phone lines could not be reached at press time. Vanguard/Daily Trust