A series of suicide bombings in northeastern Nigeria, including at a wedding and a funeral, killed at least 18 people and wounded dozens more on Saturday afternoon, according to local officials and police.
Barkindo Saidu, director of the Borno State Emergency Management Agency, said the three female attackers attacked different locations in Gwoza, a bustling city in Borno state and one of the most populous cities in the country. Islamic insurgency center Boko Haram has been wreaking havoc on this for the past 15 years.
Mr. Saidu said the victims included children and pregnant women. Some Nigerian news media reported that at least 30 people had been killed.
No group had claimed responsibility as of Sunday morning for the blast, which was similar to previous attacks by Boko Haram, whose militants have killed tens of thousands of people in Nigeria and displaced more than 2 million people in a region of aggression.
The first attacker detonated a bomb she was wearing to her wedding on Saturday, Ms. Saidu said in a preliminary report seen by The New York Times. The blast killed eight people, including the attacker and a baby she was holding, according to Kenneth Dasow, a police public relations officer in Borno. Two attackers then attacked near a hospital and at the funeral of a victim of an earlier bombing, Ms. Saidu said.
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, has faced multiple security crises over the years, including Mass kidnapping of people of all ages and classes.
Boko Haram insurgents have kidnapped thousands of young girls and forced them into marriage, forcing many to carry out suicide attacks on schools, markets, religious buildings and large gatherings.
In 2014, Boko Haram militants abducted 276 schoolgirls from the village of Chibok. Michelle Obama condemned the act, while activists campaigned to “bring our girls back,” bringing the “Chibok Girls” to global attention.
Ten years later, Dozens are still missing.
Also in 2014, the then Boko Haram leader Abubakar ShekauAfter its militants captured the city, they declared a caliphate in Gwoza. The Nigerian army retook control in 2015 and Mr. Shekau was killed in 2021, but Boko Haram militants have since launched several attacks nearby.
