MAIDUGURI, NIGERIA: A suicide bomb attack by a young girl thought to be as young as 10 in the northeast Nigerian city of Maiduguri killed 19 people, police said on Saturday.
Borno State police spokesperson Gideon Jubrin told reporters: Casualty figure: 20 dead and 18 injured, including the female suicide bomber that detonated the improvised explosive device.
The blast happened at about 12:40 pm near the live chicken section of the Monday Market in the Borno State capital, which was targeted twice in a week by female bombers late last year.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility but Boko Haram militants have increasingly used women and young girls as human bombs.
Civilian vigilante Ashiru Mustapha said the explosives detonated as the girl was being searched at the entrance to the market.
The girl was about 10 years old and I doubt much if she actually knew what was strapped to her body, he told AFP.
In fact, she was searched at the entrance of the market and the metal detector indicated that she was carrying something.
But sadly, the explosion went off before she was isolated, killing at least 10 people and injuring many others.
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