Two explosions ripped through a market in the
Nigerian city of Maiduguri on Monday, witnesses
said, nearly a week after two female suicide
bombers attacked the same area, killing more
than 45 people.
"A middle-aged woman approached the site
where chicken sellers attend to customers but
vigilantes who stood nearby insisted on checking
the luggage she was carrying," said witness
Ahmad Sanusi.
"The woman refused, arguing that what she held
were her wares. While the argument ensued,
some people gathered at the scene and that was
when she detonated the explosive," he told AFP.
The Monday Market was hit last Tuesday by two
women who detonated explosives hidden under
their hijabs. The same market was attacked on
July 1 and at least 15 people died.
A police bomb squad on Friday defused a
suspected remote-controlled improvised
explosive device buried in the dirt near another
market in Maiduguri.
Boko Haram militants were suspected and it was
thought the bomb was intended to hit
worshippers at a local mosque. Two suspected
female suicide bombers were arrested in
Maiduguri last week.
It was not immediately clear whether the woman
in Monday's incident was a suicide bomber or if
she was merely carrying explosives hidden in her
luggage.
But another witness, Goni Abba, reported a
second explosion just seconds after the first.
Nearby buildings were destroyed and there were
reports of deaths and injuries, he added.
There was no immediate official confirmation of
fatalities but the police, army and Red Cross
were at the scene.
Another local resident who was in the area at
the time said: "I was at the Borno state
television station, which is just opposite the
Monday Market, to see a friend.
"I heard an explosion and we were told that it
happened at the market. I'm now in his office
because it's not safe to venture outside," said
the resident, who asked not to be identified.
The blasts happened as Boko Haram fighters
launched a dawn raid on the capital of
neighbouring Yobe state, Damaturu, apparently
targeting the police.
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