At least 19 people have been reported dead following the detonation of an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) at a local joint in the Kawuri community, located in the Konduga Local Government Area of Borno State.
The tragic incident, which took place on Wednesday evening, also resulted in injuries to an unspecified number of residents.
The explosive device is suspected to have been planted by Boko Haram insurgents, who have been causing chaos in the North-East region.
This attack is part of a series of similar incidents in recent days, including one that resulted in the deaths of seven Nigerian soldiers.
A government official, who confirmed the incident on Thursday Morning, said the bomb exploded around 8:05 pm at a local tea joint where villagers had gathered for a night chat.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, stated that dozens of people were also injured in the explosion.
“Nobody can say exactly how it happened, but we suspect that the bomb was planted and it was not a suicide attack,” the source said. “We saw the corpses of 19 people with an unspecified number of civilians injured. The injured were evacuated to an undisclosed hospital in Maiduguri for treatment.”
This development comes just hours before scheduled nationwide protests over hunger in Nigeria.
Nigerian youths have planned mass protests across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, beginning today, Thursday.
