3 bomb attacks kill 33 people in northeast Nigeria

Three bomb attacks hit Nigeria’s northeastern city of Maiduguri in Borno State, leaving at least 33 people dead.

In the first attack, which took place at around 11:20 a.m. (1020 GMT) at the Baga fish market, 18 people were killed when an assailant blew up her explosives.

Another 15 also lost their lives about an hour later in a second blast at the Monday Market.

“I saw many dead bodies lying on the ground, many dead, and several others badly injured,” said fish seller, Idi Idrisa.

Borno State Justice Commissioner Kaka Shehu also confirmed those two bombings and said a third attack struck the busy Borno Express bus station just after 1:00 p.m.

No one has so far claimed responsibility for the deadly explosion but it bears the hallmarks of the attacks by Boko Haram Takfiri militant group.

The terrorists have recently increased their bombings and village attacks as Nigerian and Chadian forces have pushed them out of a score of towns along Nigeria’s border with Cameroon.

Villages in Cameroon and Niger have also witnessed attacks by the extremist group since the nations as Nigeria’s neighbors have decided to create a multinational force to contain Boko Haram militancy.

Boko Haram, whose name means “Western education is forbidden,” controls parts of northeastern Nigeria and says its goal is to overthrow the Nigerian government.

It has claimed responsibility for a number of deadly shooting attacks and bombings in various parts of Nigeria since the beginning of its militancy in 2009, which have left over 13,000 people dead and 1.5 million displaced.

Boko Haram has also conducted terrorist attacks in Nigeria’s neighboring countries of Cameroon, Chad, and Niger.