17 killed As Boko Haram Bomb Borno Market

At least 17 people have been killed by an explosion in a village market in Borno State in an attack blamed on Boko Haram Islamists, a local police chief said on Sunday.


The deadly blast struck a busy marketplace late on Thursday in the remote village of Nguro-Soye, injuring many more, said police chief Lawan Tanko.

News on the attack was slow to emerge after insurgents destroyed nearby telecom towers, shutting down communications in the area.

“An explosion in the market in Nguro-Soye killed 17 people,” Tanko told AFP, adding that police were investigating the source of the explosion.

“The attack on Nguro-Soye, as in previous attacks, is the handiwork of Boko Haram insurgents.”

Residents who fled the village to the state capital Maiduguri put the death toll at nearly 30, and said more people were hurt.

“They (attackers) fired RPG (rocket-propelled grenade) on the market and opened fire, killing 29 people,” said local trader Hamisu Ibrahim.

“Many people were injured in the attack and the stampede that followed,” said Ibrahim.