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A young female suicide bomber killed 12 worshippers
when she blew herself up in a mosque in northeastern
Nigeria, a witness and a vigilante aiding the military against
Boko Haram said Friday.
"The bomber was a girl aged around 15 who was seen
around the mosque when worshippers were preparing for the
afternoon prayers," vigilante Danlami Ajaokuta said of
Thursday's attack in Malari village, adding 12 had died and
seven were injured.
"People asked her to leave because she had no business
there and they were not comfortable with her in view of the
spate of suicide attacks by female Boko Haram members.
"She made to leave but while the people were inside the
mosque for the prayers she ran from a distance into the
mosque and blew herself up," he added, an account
corroborated by resident Gajimi Mala.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility but Boko
Haram has used both men and young women and girls as
human bombs in the past, and Borno state where the attack
took place has been the hardest hit by the insurgency.
The attack comes just a day after Boko Haram militants
gunned down at least 145 people in three Borno villages,
shooting Muslim worshippers during the holy month of
Ramadan in the bloodiest day of attacks since new President
Muhammadu Buhari came to power.