Five people killed in attack on mosque in Nigeria’s Borno state

Suspected Boko Haram insurgents detonated an explosive device at a mosque in Maiduguri, the capital of Nigeria’s northeastern Borno state, killing at least five people, police said.

About 35 people were wounded in the blast at the Juma’at mosque, which occurred during prayers late on Wednesday, state police spokesman, Nahum Daso told Lagos-based broadcaster Channels TV.

Nigeria has been battling a jihadist insurgency in its northeast since 2009. At least 40,000 people have died in the fighting and some 2 million have been displaced, according to the United Nations.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu ordered security operations to be intensified in Borno following the attack, Vice President Kashim Shettima said in a statement. “Security agencies are working around the clock to ensure that the perpetrators of this heinous crime are brought to justice immediately,” he added.

While Boko Haram attacks have declined from their peak about a decade ago, concerns are mounting about growing insecurity in parts of the northeast, where insurgents have retained the capacity to strike despite years of sustained military operations.