At least 18 people, including women and children, were killed, and 19 others seriously injured in Borno State, northeastern Nigeria, on Saturday, June 29, in a series of coordinated suicide bombings carried out by female attackers believed to be affiliated with the Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’wah wa’l-Jihād, an Islamist jihadist organisation, also known as Boko Haram.

A local security source, requesting anonymity, reported that several female suicide bombers, all equipped with explosives, were deployed between Friday evening and Saturday afternoon to target selected communities. 

“We all have to be on alert now, as we don’t know where many of these girls that have been released are headed now. Our local intelligence was able to ascertain that there are 30 of them,” the source said. 

The first attack occurred at Gwoza, in the southern part of Borno, where a female bomber carrying a baby detonated an explosive device during a wedding gathering, causing multiple casualties. Subsequent bombers targeted mourners at a hospital and a burial ground.

This tragic resurgence of violence, the first in nearly five years, was confirmed by Barkindo Saidu, Director General of the Borno State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA).

“At about exactly 3 p.m., the first bomb blast in Gwoza was detonated by a female suicide bomber during a marriage celebration, affecting many individuals with various injuries and causing instant deaths,” Saidu said. 

“Minutes later, another blast occurred near General Hospital, killing two civilian JTF. And at the funeral service, another female bomber detonated, resulting in numerous casualties.”

Police in Borno state provided a different account, stating that only one person was killed and 18 were injured. “So far, we have received a report on a suicide attack in Gwoza market where one person was killed. During the funeral of the deceased, another suicide bomber attacked the gathering, injuring the mourners,” said ASP Nahum Daso, the Borno State Command’s Police Spokesperson. 

However, Saidu detailed a more severe situation: “We were coordinating rescue missions from the hospital when yet another explosion occurred,” he explained. “So far, 18 deaths include children, men, women, and pregnant women. Nineteen seriously injured individuals were transported to Maiduguri, while 23 others awaited military escort at the Medical Regimental Services Clinic.”

Saidu added, “I have mobilised emergency drugs to address the shortages in Gwoza, and I am personally overseeing the situation here. The degree of injuries ranges from abdominal ruptures and skull fractures to limb fractures.”

The suspected group has not claimed responsibility for the attacks. 

HumAngle understands that the Gwoza general area is Boko Haram’s primary area of dominance and control, where the group is constantly fending off attacks from both security forces and its rival terrorist group, the Islamic State West Africa Provence (ISWAP).

Confirming the incident, the SEMA boss also stated that “there were also reports of a suspected bomber in Pulka,” heightening the community’s alertness as authorities continue to respond to the aftermath of these devastating attacks.

According to Action on Armed Violence (AOAV.Org), “Suicide bombings represent 54% (72) of Boko Haram attacks, and caused 75% (2,278) of civilian casualties.”