Two dead in University of Maiduguri bombing – NEMA

FILE PHOTO: Boko Haram Suicide bombers have consistently attacked Maiduguri

Two female suicide bombers detonated explosives on the edge of a university campus in northeast Nigeria on Monday, blowing themselves up but causing no other casualties, disasters agency NEMA said.

The bombers detonated their vests close to the perimeter fence of the University of Maiduguri at around 04:00 a.m. (0300 GMT), a NEMA spokesman said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Maiduguri is the city that has been worst hit by an eight-year-old Islamist insurgency by the Boko Haram group. It was the second suicide bombing there in three days.

Two female bombers blew themselves up on Saturday at a mosque in the Jiddari Polo district on the edge of Maiduguri, injuring four people, said NEMA.

Attacks or attempted attacks bearing the hallmarks of Boko Haram in crowded areas, such as markets and refugee camps, have escalated since the end of the rainy season in late 2016.

Most have either been foiled or the suicide bombers managed only to blow themselves up.

University of Maiduguri have been targeted by bombers on more than one occasion this year.

In the early morning on January 16, 2017, there was a suicide bomb attack at a mosque at the University. The explosion killed four people, including Professor Aliyu Mani and one of the attackers, and wounding seventeen.

The wounded were rushed to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital.

Another attacker, a girl approximately 12 years old, was reportedly shot by police as she approached the university, detonating her explosives and killing her.

Responsibility for the attack was claimed by Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau.

The number of attackers involved has varied between reports, but one of the bombers was believed to be a teenage girl.