At least five persons were feared dead, while 24 others sustained injuries following a bomb explosion at Al-Adum Jumaat Mosque around the Gamboru Market area of Maiduguri, Borno State.
The explosion occurred on Wednesday evening during the Maghrib prayer session. The explosion ripped through the mosque on Wednesday evening according to eyewitness accounts and local reports.
The blast occurred around 6:10 p.m. local time at a mosque in the Gamboru Ward area, near the bustling Customs district and Gamboru Main Market.
The victims were rushed to different hospitals across the state for treatment.
Confirming the development, the Borno State Police Command said five of the victims were pronounced dead at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital.
Spokesperson for the command, ASP Nahum Daso, disclosed this on Wednesday night.
Residents described hearing a powerful detonation that caused immediate panic in the densely populated central part of the city.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. However, the incident bears hallmarks of tactics employed by jihadist insurgents active in the region, including the use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
Maiduguri has long been the epicenter of a nearly two-decade insurgency led by Boko Haram, founded in the city in 2009, and its splinter faction, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
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These groups have historically targeted mosques, markets, and crowded public spaces, contributing to tens of thousands of deaths and the displacement of millions across northeast Nigeria.
The timing of the explosion, just hours before Christmas celebrations, has heightened tensions in the city, particularly among its Christian communities preparing for the holiday.
Security forces have cordoned off the area, and investigations are underway. This incident marks a rare breach of relative calm in Maiduguri’s urban center in recent years.
