Two schoolgirls turn suicide bombers and kill 56 in a Nigerian market

A couple of schoolgirl became suicide bombers and killed at least 56 people and wounded dozens more in a coordinated attack on a crowded market in Nigeria. It happened in the northeastern Nigerian town of Madagali. In the opinion of experts, the bombings bore the hallmark of Islamist militant group Boko Haram. However, no group has claimed responsibility.
This group has been waging an insurgency to set up a state that will adhere to a strict interpretation of Muslim laws in the northeast.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 10 December 2016.

An official of the local district government has confirmed that the bombings have left 56 people dead and another 57 wounded. The attacks had been carried out simultaneously by two schoolgirls.
It is known that Boko Haram usually targeted crowded areas like markets, places of worship and refugee camps. These suicide bomb attacks happen across northeast Nigeria and in neighboring Cameroon and Niger. The jihadist group has so far killed some 15,000 people and forced more than two million people to flee their homes.


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21 school girls of Chibok, abducted by Boko Haram in 2014, return home

276 school girls were abducted from their school in Chibok in 2014 by a Boko Haram jihadi group and, 21 of them have now returned - some of them have come back with their children born during this period. These 21 school girls who have been freed from their Boko Haram captors in Nigeria have been pictured for the first time.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 14 October 2016.

The release of these girls is believed to be the result of a swap for detained Islamic leaders. Another school of thought is that they were released in lieu of a ransom payment. This gains ground because a Nigerian hostage negotiator, who was not involved in the release, believes that a 'handsome ransom' in millions of dollars was paid by Switzerland's government on behalf of Nigerian authorities.
Anyway, the freed girls, some with their children, attended a reception held by the Nigerian Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the state house. His wife also embraced several of the girls, who had been forced to become jihadi brides during their time in captivity.


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One more Chibok girl rescued - she was kidnapped along with 275 others in April 2014

With the rescue of a second Chibok girl who had been kidnapped, along with 275 others, by Boko Haram militants in April 2014, the matter has once again come to the forefront. The girls were in the age group 16 to 18. This second girl was found in Nigeria, two years after she and 275 others were taken from their secondary school. She was rescued during a military operation against IS-affiliated fighters Boko Haram and was taken to hospital.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 20 May 2016.

The rescued girl is the daughter of a pastor and had only started at the boarding school in Chibok a little more than two months before the Boko Haram raid and her kidnap. This news comes just two days after another of the abducted students was found.
It seems most of the girls were still in the Sambisa forest which is the biggest stronghold of Boko Haram. However, the 19-year-old was traumatised and was carrying a baby. She has said that six of her classmates were already dead.
The girl and her mother met Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari at his official residence in Abuja and were assured that the government was "doing all it can to rescue the remaining Chibok girls". There was international outrage when the girls were abducted from their school during a Boko Haram raid on Chibok in April 2014. While fifty-seven of them managed to escape the same day, the others are held prisoners. It led to high-profile figures, including America's first lady Michelle Obama, joining the campaign #BringBackOurGirls. But - noting much has been done.
Boko Haram militants have, till now, killed an estimated 15,000 people and kidnapped hundreds of men, women and children during a six-year campaign - they want to establish an Islamic caliphate in northeastern Nigeria.


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12-year-old boy carries out suicide attack in a market in Nigeria, kills at least 10

#bokoharam #chibokgirls #nigeria #suicidebomber It was market day and a 12-year-old boy blew himself up in a suicide attack in a market in northeast Nigeria - at least 10 people have been killed in the attack. The attack took place in the grain section, which is at the edge of the market. This is the latest bloodshed to hit the region, which is plagued by Islamist violence.
This has been reported in zeenews.india.com dated 29 January 2016.

The blast happened at around midday in the crowded market in Gombi in Adamawa state and this attack is believed to be one of the worst-hit in the seven-year Boko Haram insurgency. This blast came after three suicide bombers had killed at least 14 people in town of Chibok. It was the place from where Islamist gunmen had kidnapped more than 200 girls in April 2014.
Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari had declared last month that the Islamic State group affiliate had been "technically" defeated. However, there has not been any let-up in suicide and bomb attacks.
Gombi is situated about 120-Km from the state capital Yola and has been hit a number of times by Boko Haram attacks. It was market day in Gombi and the market attracts thousands of people from the district.
Boko Haram has killed at least 17,000 people since its campaign began in 2009 while more than 2.6 million others have fled their homes. Some 2.0 million have been displaced within Nigeria, with the others have fled into neighboring Cameroon, Chad and Niger.


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Sucide bombings by Boko Haram kill 49 in Nigeria

#bokoharam #ISIS #nigeria #suicidebomber In two suicide bomb attacks in Nigeria, the Boko Haram have killed a total of 49 people - one of these was in the town of Yola where at least 34 people were killed and another 80 wounded. This town is packed with refugees from Nigeria's Islamic uprising. The suicide bomber exploded as truckers were having their dinner at the bustling marketplace where vendors urged them to buy sugar cane.
Subsequently, two more suicide bombers killed at least 15 people in the northern city of Kano and injured 53. As per Nigeria's National Emergency Management Agency, more than 100 are believed to have been wounded.
This has been reported in zeenews.india.com dated 19 November 2015.

These suicide attacks were the latest by Boko Haram which is Nigeria's home-grown extremists - its 6-year insurgency has killed 20,000 and forced 2.3 million to flee their homes.
The outfit Boko Haram has been named as the world's most deadly extremist group in the Global Terrorism Index. Deaths attributed to Boko Haram increased by 317 percent in 2014 to 6,644. In comparison, there were 6,073 deaths blamed on the Islamic State group. Incidentally, Boko Haram had pledged allegiance to IS in March and identifies itself as that group's West Africa Province.

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Gang of 80 suspected Boko Haram men attack village in Cameroon and kill 23

#bokoharam #cameroon #nigeria #islamicstate A gang of more than 80 assailants stormed the village of Kamouna, located near Lake Chad in the northern strip of Cameroon that lies between Nigeria and Chad and killed 23 – most of the dead are children.
It is suspected to be an attack by Boko Haram militants as reported in zeenews.india.com dated 21 July 2015.

There were hardly seven soldiers guarding the village and they were no match against the gang. The residents of the village had requested the military for more protection last week following raids by suspected Boko Haram fighters on the village and stealing livestock.
Nigeria-based Boko Haram has recently linked up with the Islamic State group and has been targeting northern Cameroon continuously in retaliation for its participation in a regional military effort against the extremists. Last week, bombs had been planted at a bar in north Cameroon by suspected Boko Haram fighters and 14 people were killed in that attack.
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#beheading #ISIS #BokoHaram #terrorists The Nigerian terror group Boko Haram appears to be going the way of ISIS with whom it had forged an alliance and had expressed allegiance to the Islamist State. The Boko Haram has released its first gruesome video of a beheading. The video follows many of the same style-points as the hundreds of barbaric videos that had been released by ISIS over the last year.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 11 July 2015.

The release of the 10-minute video coincided with the news of a Somali terror group's intentions to join ISIS – that way it would extend its so-called caliphate to east-Africa. Most likely, he Somali terror group Al-Shabaab could switch allegiance from Al-Qaeda to rivals ISIS instead.
Islamic State have already accepted a pledge of allegiance from Boko Haram. This terror group of Nigeria was responsible for the deaths of over 10,000 in Nigeria in 2014.
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Boko Haram attack in Jos and Potiskum kills 60 Muslims and Christians in one day

#bokoharam #nigeria #mosque #potiskum #suicide There were two suicide attacks in a mosque and a posh Muslim restaurant in the central city of Jos and an evangelical Christian church in northeastern Potiskum in which militants from Boko Haram killed at least 60 persons. The dead in the mosque included worshippers who had arrived to listen to a cleric known for preaching peaceful coexistence of all faiths.
Not content with the deaths, the militants also set on fire dozens of churches and about 300 homes.
This has been reported in foxnews.com dated 6 July 2015.

The explosion at the Yantaya Mosque came as cleric Sani Yahaya was addressing the worshippers. The cleric Yahaya is the national chairman of the Jama'atu Izalatul Bidia organization, which preaches that all religions should peacefully coexist. The gunmen had, also, opened fire on the mosque from three directions.
Cleric Sani Yahaya was unharmed in the attack.
Boko Haram extremists have killed about 300 people in the past week -- the self-proclaimed Islamic State group wanted to create more mayhem during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. It may be recalled that earlier this year, Boko Haram had become an affiliate of the Islamic State group.
President Muhammadu Buhari has condemned the attacks on places of worship and has indicated that the government will defend Nigerians' right to worship freely.
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Boko Haram unleashes another round of terror on Nigeria – kill 150 in Borno state

#nigeria #bokoharam #lakechad The militant group Boko Haram has unleashed another round of terror in the northeast state of Brno in Nigeria and 150 people have been killed - gunmen had stormed the village of Kukawa near Lake Chad killing 97 people, including women and children. The next day, they shot dead 48 men after they had finished prayers in two villages near the town of Monguno but the women are believed to have been spared.
This has been reported in bbc.com dated 2 July 2015.

It seems a gang of over 50 militants had stormed Kukawa – they first descended on Muslim worshippers in various mosques who were observing the Maghrib prayer shortly after they broke their fast. The victims were mostly men and young children.
Moreover, while some of the terrorists waited and set most of the corpses on fire, others went to the nearby houses and shot indiscriminately at women who were preparing food.
Incidentally, Monguno had recently been recaptured from Boko Haram. It may be recalled that 23 people died in the town last month after a confiscated Boko Haram bomb exploded during celebrations to mark the successful military operation against the Islamist group.
As per records of Amnesty International, at least 17,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed since 2009. That was the time when Boko Haram launched its violent uprising to try to impose militant Islamist rule.
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Two girl suicide bombers kill at least 30 in Nigerian market

#suicidebomber #nigeria #bokoharam #mosque #ISIS Two teenage girls blew themselves up and killed at least 30 people in a twin suicide bomb attack. The venue of the attack was near a crowded mosque in a bustling market in Maiduguri. The people were from the Baga Road fish market and were praying during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Maiduguri is the largest city of northeast Nigeria and is considered to be the birthplace of Boko Haram, the Islamic extremist group.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 23 June 2015.

It is feared that the two girl suicide bombers had been captives of the Boko Haram terror group who forced them to blow themselves up. This was the fourth suicide bombing in Maiduguri over the past three weeks.
As explained by a military bomb disposal expert, most of the bombs carried by girls and women are installed with remote detonation devices which means the carrier cannot control the explosion.
It may be recalled that Boko Haram has sworn allegiance to ISIS in March and has kidnapped thousands of girls and women over the past few years. The increase in the number of females carrying out suicide bomb attacks on behalf of the militants would make one wonder whether these innocent captives are being forced to become suicide bombers and blow themselves up.
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Boko Haram unleashes terror in classroom – suicide bomber blows himself up

#bokoharam #Nigeria #Suicidebomber In yet another daytime attack, the Boko Haram has carried an attack on a Nigerian school during classes today and six students have been critically injured as reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 8 May 2015.

As per information, a gunman opened fire on students after walking into a high school in Potiskum, northeast Nigeria. The gunman was caught and beaten by locals. He was accompanied by a suicide bomber, who died after blowing himself up. The incident happened in the car park of the College of Administrative and Business Studies.
Apart from the six students, another 45 people are being treated for injuries they sustained when they jumped out of windows and over walls to escape the attackers.
According to witnesses, the gunmen had arrived around 8am local time and opened fire at the gate of the business school.

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Horror in Damasak - at least 70 dead bodies discovered with throats slit or decapitated

#ISIS #bokoharam #damasak #nigeria #goodluckjonathan After the recapture of the town of Damasak from Boko Haram militants, the authorities have discovered at least 70 dead bodies dumped outside the northeastern town of Nigeria as reported in bbc.com dated 21 March 2015. The city of Damasak had been seized by troops from Niger and Chad thereby bringing to an end months of control by the Islamist militants.
Damasak is a trading town in Borno state near Niger's border and is located roughly 200-Km from the state's main city of Maiduguri. It had been overrun by the militants. It seems many of the dead bodies had their throats slits and some had been decapitated.
The identities of the dead are still not known. However, from the condition of the bodies, it appears that death had occurred quite some time ago since the bodies had been partially mummified by the desert air.
Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan has already predicted that Boko Haram was becoming a spent force and would lose all territory within a month. "They are getting weaker and weaker by the day," is how he put it.
The motto of Boko Haram is to promote a version of Islam which forbids Muslims to participate in any political or social activity associated with Western society. Incidentally, the group has already pledged allegiance to ISIS militants, who control large parts of Syria and Iraq and are also active in Libya.

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Suicide bombing in Nigeria – a 10-year-old girl suicide bomber kills five

#potiskum #bokoharam #nigeria #suicidebomber The incident took place in Potiskum in NE Nigeria where a 10-year-old girl got out of a tricycle taxi in front of the busy cell phone market in Potiskum and minutes later her explosives detonated killing the girl and four others as reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 24 February 2015. Using such young girls who do not have the faintest idea of how they are being used would lead one to presume that they have been made victims and most probably had been kidnapped.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack in which 46 people have suffered serious injuries, but experts feel that it bears he hallmarks of Boko Haram, Nigeria's homegrown extremist group.
If reports are to be believed, Boko Haram has, of late, been using teenage girls and young women for suicide bombings in marketplaces, bus stations and other busy areas. However, the girl in the Potiskum attack appeared far younger and it is not yet clear whether the bombers activate the explosions themselves, or whether they were remote controlled devices.
Potiskum is the capital of Yobe state and, last November, a suicide bomber disguised in a school uniform had set off explosives hidden in a backpack during an assembly at a high school. At least 48 students were killed in the attack and another 79 were wounded.

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Nigerian Army takes back the town of Baga from Boko Haram.

#BokoHaram #LakeChad #terrorists #Nigeria #Baga Boko Haram militants had taken over the city of Baga on 3 January 2015 and it was reported officially that 150 people had died during the attack on Baga and nearby Doron Baga but locals put the toll at around 2,000.
Anyway, the Nigerian army has now retaken the north-eastern town of Baga and that mopping up operations had been started as reported in bbc.com dated 21 February 2015.
The Army has also claimed that it had killed many Boko Haram militants – there is no independent verification of this. As per the version of the Army, the militants had fled and some of them drowned in Lake Chad when they tried to escape the aerial bombardment. Moreover, the militants had laid nearly 1000 mines in Baga which had to be negotiated by the soldiers before entering.
Boko Haram now controls much of Nigeria's north-east and it has killed thousands of people indiscriminately in its drive to establish an Islamic state. More recently, it has conducted cross-border raids in neighboring Chad, Cameroon and Niger by attacking villages and military bases. All these three countries have joined forces with Nigeria to create a military coalition against the Islamist militants.

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Atrocities of Boko Haram – slit the throats of at least 100 victims in Fotokol

#fotokol #bokoharam #cameroon #nigeria In their latest show of atrocities that continues to shock the civilized world, the Boko Haram militants have slit the throats of at least 100 victims in the town of Fotlkol in Cameroon. This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 5 February 2015.
The dead were mercilessly murdered by the militants of the terrorist Islamist group inside their own homes and at a mosque.
This raid has come amid a major offensive launched by Cameroon and its neighboring African states against Boko Haram, which has killed thousands and kidnapped hundreds in Nigeria and has also started to mount raids across the borders.
The militants had gained entry into Fotokol through Gambaru early in the morning and massacred people in the mosque, in the houses and also set fire to properties – this has been revealed by the civic leader Abatchou Abatcha, whose own son was shot dead during the raid.
The information minister of Cameroon Issa Tchiroma has clarified that the Cameroon army had pushed Boko Haram out of the border town following heavy fighting in which at least 50 militants were killed apart from six of its own soldiers.
The Sunni Muslim jihadist group is obviously a major security threat to Nigeria which is Africa's biggest economy and top oil producer. The African Union has, last week, authorized a regional force of 7,500 troops to fight the militants. Simultaneously, in neighboring Chad, the state television has reported that its army had destroyed Boko Haram bases at Gambaru and Ngala in northern Nigeria killing over 200 militants with nine Chad losses.

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Chibok girls return to school after escaping from clutches of Boko Haram

#chibokgirls #bokoharam #godiya #yola #nigeria Boko Haram had kidnapped around 220 girls from their school in north-eastern Nigerian village of Chibok and, while 57 of them succeeded in escaping from their clutches, the others are still held captive deep in the jungle as reported in theguardian.com dated 3 February 2015.
The mass abduction last April propelled the sect into global infamy and the global community rose as one to condemn the kidnapping and the missing students became an international symbol of the oppression of Boko Haram and their attitude towards education.
But these girls have become bold and are now pursuing studies. That has been made possible by a 27-year-old woman known only as Godiya who offered scholarships – her sister was one of the kidnapped schoolgirls. Her mission put her directly in the crosshairs of the sect of Boko Haram which means “western education is forbidden”.
She is an employee of the American University of Nigeria in Yola. She approached her boss Margee Ensign at the American University of Nigeria in Yola who has run the establishment for six years. Godiya told her that her sister was one of the girls who had escaped, and that she and the other girls were in Chibok, doing nothing and she wanted Ensign to help them out.
Therefore, Ensign managed to collect $50,000 in donations to put 10 girls through the university for one year and the once traumatized girls have got a fresh lease of life and are turning over a new leaf, thanks to Godiya and Ensign.

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