Boko Haram: female suicide bombers kill at least 23 in separate attacks in Nigeria

Two separate attacks carried out by female suicide bombers killed at least 23 people and injured dozens in Nigeria this weekend.

In the first attack, which occurred Saturday at a crowded market in the city of Maiduguri in Nigeria’s Borno State, a bomb on a girl believed to be 10 years old detonated, killing at least 19 people, the BBC reported.

In the second attack on Sunday, two suspected female child bombers struck a mobile phone market in the city of Potiskum in neighboring Yobe state, killing four people and injuring 21, according to the BBC. A security source told AFP that, “One of the bombers looked 23 and the other 15.”

A device on the bomber who looked 23 went off as she was being screened, along with other people trying to enter the market, by volunteers with metal detectors. The security source told AFP that the second bomber was terrified by the explosion and was trying to flee when her bomb went off.

Sources told AFP that the actions of the 15-year-old suggested that the bombs may have been remotely controlled.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, but Boko Haram has been using female suicide bombers with increasing frequency since June.

[chrisbtw]

Wait did they know there were bombs on them