Female suicide bomber kills 10, injures 20 in Yobe

A female suicide bomber killed at least 10 people and injured more than 20 in an attack on Tuesday in a market in Yobe several witnesses said.

The attack bore the hallmarks of militant Islamist group Boko Haram, which is stepping up suicide attacks in towns and cities after losing much of its area of control since the start of the year.

Meanwhile, four policemen, including an Assistant Superintendent of Police, are feared dead following an attack on them by some suspected sea pirates in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

The suicide bomber struck at about 11 a.m. at a market in Gujba, a town that was reclaimed from the Islamist group earlier this year as Nigeria’s military went on the offensive with support from Chad, Niger and Cameroon.

The blast came a day after another female suicide bomber hit a market in Maiduguri in an attack that bore the hallmarks of Boko Haram, which has killed thousands during its six-year insurgency in northeast Nigeria.

“I saw the suicide bomber, a small girl of not more than 12 years. I counted over 10 people that were dead,” said Hussani Ibrahim, a driver, who added that he helped transport 23 injured to a hospital in Damaturu.

President Muhammadu Buhari, who has vowed to crush the insurgency, on Tuesday, accepted an invitation to visit President Paul Biya in neighbouring Cameroon as part of efforts to intensify the region’s joint fight against Boko Haram.

Buhari has held talks in the last few weeks with counterparts in neighbouring countries to set up a regional force to tackle the insurgency.

His spokesman Femi Adesina said that Cameroon’s president had made assurances of “brotherly commitment” to working with Nigeria to end the insurgency.

The Guardian gathered that the policemen were routine patrol on the Abonnema Wharf waterways in Port Harcourt when the masked sea pirates ran into their boat and opened fire on them. Fortunately, one of the policemen was said to have jumped into the sea and swam to safety.

It was gathered that sea pirates numbering about 20 in number, were said to be sailing in four boats. The murder of the policemen stirred serious upheaval around Abonema Wharf as people quickly deserted the area following sounds of sporadic gunshots.

A source in Abonnema wharf told The Guardian that the waterway in the area had, for years been a sea pirates hub, particularly those who are involved in crude oil theft and kidnappings.

“Abonnema wharf has for years been a hub for crude oil thieves and kidnappers of recent. The killing of the policemen should be a wake up call for government to clean up the waterways. Security should strengthened around the waterways”

When contacted, the State Police Public Relations Officer, Ahmad Mohammad, offered no explanation.