4 killed in suicide bomb attack in Mandirari village

Four people have been killed in a suicide bomb attack at Mandirari Village in the Kondugu Local Government Area of Borno, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

An official of the Borno State Emergency Management Agency, Malam Bello Danbatta, who confirmed the development, told NAN on Thursday that the attack occurred late on Wednesday.

He said that the agency had since deployed its rescue team to the village, which according to him is near Maiduguri, the Borno capital.

Danbatta said that the team had also evacuated people, who sustained injuries in the attack to the Maiduguri Specialist Hospital for medical attention.

The attack is the latest in an increasing spate of deadly attacks in the war-wracked North East, the epicentre of the Boko Haram insurgency, which commenced in 2009.

A resident of Mandirari Village, Malam Jubril Modu, who claimed to have witnessed the attack, said that four female suicide bombers were involved in the attack.

He said that the bombers were intercepted by members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), when the insurgents were trying to infiltrate the Village.

Modu said that one of the insurgents detonated an explosive strapped to her body, making the device strapped on two other suicide bombers to detonate.

"The bomb blew up the insurgents into pieces. One member of the CJTF and three others sustained injuries in the blast."

Modu explained that the fourth suicide bomber threw away the explosive device on her body and fled.

"A team of the CJTF member is searching for the fleeing suicide bomber," he stated.

A member of the military task force, who spoke to NAN on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak on the issue, also confirmed the attack.

The officer said, however, that security had been beefed up in the area.