At least 18 dead in coordinated attacks by suspected female suicide bombers | World news

Explosions occurred during a wedding celebration, a funeral and near a hospital in Borno state. Nigeria’s president said he would “not allow the nation to drift into an era of fear, tears, grief and blood”.

At least 18 people were killed and 30 others injured in coordinated attacks by suspected female suicide bombers in Nigeria, local authorities said.

The first suspect detonated an explosive device during a wedding party in the northeast Nigerian Gwoza town on Saturday.

Minutes later, another explosion occurred near a hospital and a third attack occurred at a memorial service.

According to the State Emergency Management Agency, the suspect was dressed as a mourner at the funeral.

Among the dead were children and pregnant women, and 19 of the injured were seriously injured.

“I have mobilized emergency medicines to address the shortage of medicines in Gwoza,” said Barkindo Saidu, director general of the Borno State Disaster Management Agency.

Nigeria’s president condemned the attacks and said his “government will not allow the nation to drift into an era of fear, tears, grief and blood,” according to a statement posted online.

No one claimed responsibility for the attacks, but Borno State has been badly affected by an uprising that began in 2009 by Boko Haraman Islamist extremist group.

The group has a history of using women and girls to carry out suicide attacks, so it is suspected that some of them are among the thousands it has kidnapped over the years.

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Mr Saidu said the severity of the injuries ranged from abdominal ruptures to skull and limb fractures.

Authorities imposed a curfew in the town and the population remained on high alert after reports of another suspected bomb attack in Pulka, a town less than two kilometres from Gwoza.

Gwoza is located a few kilometers from Chibok in southern Borno. 276 schoolgirls were kidnapped there in 2014. Almost 100 of them are still in captivity.