- Title: Professor, child killed in two suicide bombing in Nigeria's northeast
- Date: 16th January 2017
- Summary: MAIDUGURI, NIGERIA (JANUARY 16, 2017) (REUTERS) AMBULANCE DRIVING OFF MILITARY AT SCENE DAMAGED ROOF DEBRIS ON GROUND / SHOES VARIOUS OF BUILDING AFTER BOMBING DEBRIS ON GROUND VARIOUS OF BUILDING AFTER BOMBING (SOUNDBITE) (English) STATE COORDINATOR OF THE CIVILIAN JOINT TASK FORCE, BORNO, ABBA AJI KALLI, SAYING: "My name is Abba Aji Kalli. It was this morning around 5:25, a suicide bomber came in to the university and blow himself at the mosque so the casualties we have is, we have lost one of our professors and one of... the suicide bomber himself. We have some injuries but we learned that there is one small boy who passed away in the hospital and there is another suicide bomber from Gate Five but that one is the only one who blew himself so this is actually what happened today but we are appealing to the members of the public to give their maximum support to all the security outfits so that we will do this work because the challenges now we are facing is some people because of the relevant peace we have, they have started challenging the security men on duty so we are appealing to them to give them their maximum support and cooperation so that we will do this good job that we have started." DAMAGE IN BUILDING
- Embargoed: 30th January 2017 10:12
- Keywords: Maiduguri Nigeria suicide bombing university death
- Location: MAIDUGURI, NIGERIA
- City: MAIDUGURI, NIGERIA
- Country: Nigeria
- Topics: Bombing (non-military),Conflicts/War/Peace
- Reuters ID: LVA0015ZBYNUV
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Suicide bombers at the University of Maiduguri killed a professor and a child in an early morning attack on Monday (January 16) and wounded 17 others, officials said.
State emergency agency NEMA said two suicide bombers blew themselves up at different gates to the university in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, the former stronghold of Boko Haram Islamist militants, at around 0525 local time (0625 GMT).
"A suicide bomber came in to the university and blow himself at the mosque so the casualties we have is, we have lost one of our professors and the suicide bomber himself. We have some injuries but we learned that there is one small boy who passed away in the hospital and there is another suicide bomber from Gate Five but (he) is the only one who blew himself (up)," said Abba Aji Kalli, state coordinator, civilian joint task force, Borno state.
There was no claim of responsibility but the attacks bore the hallmarks of Boko Haram, which has killed 15,000 people and displaced more than 2 million during a seven-year insurgency to set up an Islamic state in Nigeria's northeast.
The group has stepped up attacks in the past few weeks as the end of the rainy season facilitates movements in the bush.
In early 2015, Boko Haram controlled an area about the size of Belgium. It has been pushed out of most of that territory over the past year by Nigeria's army and troops from neighbouring countries.
Last month, President Muhammadu Buhari said Boko Haram fighters had been pushed out of the Sambisa forest, their last stronghold in the northeast.
Security analysts say the group's ability to carry out attacks in neighbouring Niger, Cameroon and Chad suggests it has multiple bases. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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