Nigeria: suicide bomber kills at least 50 in mosque

A teenage suicide bomber blew himself up as worshippers gathered for morning prayers at a mosque in north-eastern Nigeria, which resulted in the killing of at least 50 people, said police on Tuesday.

The incident happened during early morning prayers at the Madina mosque in the Unguwar Shuwa area of Mubi, some 200km from the the Adamawa state capital, Yola.

Police spokesman Othman Abubakar said they were “still trying to ascertain the number of injured because they are in various hospitals”.

While there was no immediate claim of responsibility, the attack bears the hallmarks of Boko Haram.

The Islamist group is based in neighbouring Borno state and has been blamed for scores of similar attacks in crowded public places, such as mosques and markets over the last few years.

When asked who he believed to be responsible, Abubakar said: “We all know the trend. We don’t suspect anyone specifically but we know those behind such kind of attacks.”

Boko Haram has increasingly been using teenagers or young women as bombers, many of whom have been abducted.

The police spokesman said the young man detonated his explosives while mingling among the worshippers.

In recent months, Nigeria’s military has flushed Boko Haram from its forest stronghold but President Muhammadu Buhari’s claim late last year that the extremist group was “crushed” has proven to be untrue and possibly premature.

Boko Haram has been blamed for more than 20,000 deaths during its nearly decade-old insurgency, which has spilled over into neighbouring countries and displaced millions of people, creating a vast humanitarian crisis.

Boko Haram briefly overran Mubi in late 2014 as its fighters rampaged across north-eastern Nigeria, seizing towns and villages in its quest to establish a hardline Islamic state.

The town’s name was changed temporarily to Madinatul Islam, or “City of Islam” in Arabic, during the Boko Haram occupation.

But it has been peaceful since the military and the civilian militia ousted them from the town, which is a commercial hub and home to the Adamawa State University.

In recent months, Boko Haram activity has been concentrated on the far north of Adamawa state, around Madagali, which is near the border with Borno state.

This month, at least two civilians were killed when dozens of Boko Haram fighters tried to storm the town of Gulak but were repelled by soldiers.

There have been repeated suicide bombings in the area, which is near to the Sambisa forest area of Borno, where the militants had a base.