19 killed, 23 injured in Boko Haram attacks

The Police Command in Borno on Wednesday confirmed that 19 people were killed in the latest deadly Boko Haram attacks in Maiduguri in Nigeria’s troubled North East.

The attacks, which occurred late on Tuesday, claimed the lives of 12 Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) members and seven civilians, according to the Borno State Commissioner of Police Borno, Mr Damian Chukwu.

It was reported that no fewer than 860 CJTF members have lost their lives to the insurgency in Borno since 2014.

Chukwu told reporters in Maiduguri on Wednesday that at least 23 people sustained injuries in the latest attacks.

The commissioner, who had since visited the scenes of the attacks, said that four female suicide bombers attacked Moloi, Judumeri and Polo-Sabongari areas of Maiduguri.

He said the attackers targeted a CJTF check point and detonated their explosives, killing seven of the taskforce members.

Chukwu said that another suicide bomber denoted an explosive strapped to her body when she was intercepted by a CJTF member, killing herself and the CJTF member.

The commissioner explained that a few minutes later, another suicide bomber attacked a group of mourners, who had gathered to symphathise with families of those killed in the earlier attacks.

“The suicide bomber detonated an improvised explosive device, blew up herself and killed the mourners.

“About 12 CJTF members and seven civilians were killed in the separate attacks.

“The attacks occurred between 10 p.m. and 10.30 p.m. on the outskirts of the metropolis.”

Chukwu reiterated the command’s commitment to protecting lives and property, calling on residents to be vigilant and to provide useful information to security agencies.

He suggested that government should intensify its awareness campaign to sensitise communities on the need to be security conscious.

Boko Haram, which launched its bloody campaign in 2009, has been attacking soft targets, including the University of Maiduguri, where it killed four people on May 19 this year.

On Aug. 26, 2011, the group attacked the UN Building in Abuja, killing scores of people.

It had also attacked the Police Headquarters in Abuja and the busy Nyanya Bus Stop on the outskirts of the Federal Capital Territory, killing many people.