Authorities in Borno State, Nigeria have apprehended two female suicide bombers linked to the recent detonation of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Gwoza, which resulted in 18 fatalities. The arrest, confirmed on Sunday, follows a series of attacks involving multiple female bombers.
According to a local government official speaking to Channels Television, 30 female bombers were dispatched to Gwoza with instructions to detonate IEDs at various locations. So far, four of these bombers have detonated their devices.
In a tragic sequence of events, one bomber detonated her IED while being interrogated at a military checkpoint, killing herself, a soldier, and a civilian JTF member. The bombers infiltrated Gwoza from Pulka and the Mandara mountains.
The Director-General of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Barkindo Saidu, who witnessed the initial blast, reported, “In my presence, at about 3 pm, the first bomb blast in Gwoza occurred, detonated by a female suicide bomber in the midst of a marriage ceremony celebration.” The explosion resulted in instant deaths and injuries to over 30 people. Moments later, a second explosion occurred near the General Hospital.
The initial explosion, during a wedding at Tashan Mararaba near the Fire Service in Gwoza, was carried out by a bomber with a baby on her back. As mourners gathered to bury the victims, a third female bomber detonated another device, leading to more casualties. While emergency responders were coordinating rescue efforts at the hospital, a fourth blast was triggered by a teenage girl.
Saidu reported, “So far, 18 deaths comprise children, adult males, females, and pregnant women. Nineteen seriously injured were conveyed to Maiduguri in four ambulances.” As of his latest update, 23 injured individuals awaited military escort at the Medical Regimental Services (MRS) Clinic.
The military has since imposed a curfew in Gwoza LGA in response to the attacks, as evacuations and emergency operations continue
