Borno: At least 18 dead in suspected suicide attacks in Nigeria

At least 18 people have been killed and 30 injured in a series of deadly explosions in Nigeria, suspected to have been carried out by female suicide bombers.

One of the bomb attacks is said to have killed six people and injured others at a wedding ceremony in the northeastern state of Borno on Saturday.

The state’s disaster management agency said the coordinated attacks targeted a wedding, the subsequent funeral of the victims and a hospital in the town of Gwoza.

No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attacks, but insurgents from the Nigeria-based Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) had previously claimed responsibility for deadly bombings in Borno.

In the last four months, attackers have carried out suicide attacks and bombings against people in Borno state twice.

Borno state has been at the centre of an insurgency by the militant Islamist group Boko Haram for 15 years, during which more than two million people have lost their homes and more than 40,000 people have been killed.

Authorities said 18 deaths were confirmed on Saturday, including children, adults and pregnant women.

Some local media report a much higher number of victims – the Nigerian newspapers “Vanguard” and “This Day” reported that at least 30 people were killed in the explosions.

The military has imposed a curfew.

Gwoza was captured by Boko Haram in 2014 and recaptured by Nigerian forces in 2015. Since then, however, the group has continued to carry out attacks and kidnappings near the town.

The attack came a day after militants killed 17 people in a raid on the village of Gurokayeya because villagers refused to pay a so-called crop tax, police said.