A bomb exploded in a teahouse in a small village in northeast Nigeria, killing 19 people and injuring about two dozen more. This is the second major attack in a few weeks, according to security sources on Thursday.
The explosion happened on Wednesday evening in Kawuri village, which is in Borno State. It was one of the deadliest incidents in recent years in this area, where violence from a long-running jihadist conflict has been decreasing.
Ibrahim Liman, a member of an anti-jihadist militia that works with the army, told AFP, “There was an explosion at a tea joint in Kawuri around 8:00 pm yesterday. We have recovered 19 dead bodies and 27 injured.” Two other militia members confirmed the number of dead and injured. Kawuri is about 50 kilometers (30 miles) from Maiduguri, the state capital.
No group has claimed responsibility for the blast, but both Boko Haram and their rivals, Islamic State West Africa Province, are active in Borno. Even though large bomb attacks are now less common, militants still carry out ambushes, roadside bombings, and kidnappings from rural hideouts.
Babakura Kolo, a militia commander, said, “Boko Haram struck in Kawuri last night. They took us all by surprise because it has been a while without such attacks.” The injured were taken to hospitals in Maiduguri.
The Nigerian military did not immediately respond to requests for confirmation. This attack came just weeks after multiple suicide bombers killed 32 people in Borno State’s Gwoza area, targeting a wedding, a hospital, and a funeral.
Large bomb attacks have become rare since the Nigerian army, with help from Chadian forces, pushed militants out of the territory they controlled in 2014. Reducing insecurity was one of the top priorities for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu when he took office over a year ago.
Nigeria’s armed forces are also fighting heavily armed gangs in the northwest part of the country. Since 2009, more than 40,000 people have been killed and another two million displaced due to the jihadist conflict in the northeast. Additionally, hundreds of thousands have been displaced in the northwest and central states, where gangs known as bandits kidnap people from villages and farms for ransom.
