Two female bombers allegedly operating for the Takfiri terrorist Boko Haram group have been killed by Nigeria’s vigilantes near the flashpoint city of the Maiduguri.
"Two female suicide bombers, about 18 years of age... were sighted by the civilian JTF (Joint Task Force, a group of vigilantes) and consequently shot dead by security personnel," police spokesman Victor Isuku said in a statement on Sunday, adding that no one else was killed or injured in the incident that took place on Saturday.
Sources in Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said one of the bombers was pregnant. Other officials in the rescue service said a vigilante was injured in the incident, without elaborating if the attackers had managed to detonate their explosives.
Reports said the attackers tried to infiltrate into Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, a volatile territory in northern Nigeria where Boko Haram has carried out most of it attacks against civilians and security forces over the past years. The terror group routinely recruits teenage girls and young women to stage attacks. Several people were killed in January when a woman carrying a baby detonated her explosives in a crowded area in Borno.
At least 20,000 people have been killed in more than seven years of militancy by Boko Haram in Nigeria and neighboring countries, including in Chad, Cameron and Niger. The militancy has also forced more than 2.5 million people from their homes. The military, backed by regional forces, has managed to push back militants from key areas they used to hold. However, attacks have continued unabated with many blaming the militancy on elements in the government and the military, saying they continue to support Boko Haram through the provision of funds and weapons.