No fewer than five persons have been killed in a Boko Haram suicide bomb attack on Sunday at a mosque in Bama Local Government Area of Borno.
Many worshipers also sustained injuries in the attack which happened around 5:30am.
Ali Abacha, an official of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), confirmed the incident, saying it was a suicide attack.
Abacha said two female bombers sneaked into the mosque at the time Muslim faithful were observing early morning prayers.
“Those injured were rushed to the Military Hospital in Bama while some of the dead were identified by their family members and taken for burial in line with Islamic injunction,” he told TheCable.
Ibrahim Kachala, one of the victims family, said two of his family members were killed during the attack.
“We heard the heavy sound explosion at the time we are also observing prayers. The explosion was very loud and we all knew that something was wrong,” Kachala said.
“When we approached the scene, there was dead bodies everywhere including two of my family members.”
The major road in Bama, 75 kilometres from Maiduguri, capital of the state, was closed for about four years because of activities of the Boko Haram insurgents.
The Chairman of the Council, Baba-Shehu Gulumba, also confirmed the incident and affirmed that two teenage suicide bombers, a male and female, infiltrated a mosque at Bama-Dina quarters and detonated Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) strapped to their bodies.
He explained that the incident occurred at about 5: 00 am, when Muslims faithful gathered for early morning prayers.
Gulumba said that three persons died on the spot while one other died later at the Specialist Hospital, Maiduguri, adding that the wounded persons were also referred to the hospital for treatment.
The chairman noted that the state government, in collaboration with the military, police and other security agencies had deployed personnel and constructed trenches to fortify security in the town.
He said: “We restricted movement from 6 : 30 pm in the town and called on people to abide by the restriction order”.
Gulumba stressed the readiness of the government to continue with the resettlement exercise, noting that the attack would not affect its implementation.
In 2014, Boko Haram overran the town but it was later captured by the military.
The military authorities reopened the road in March.