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Not fewer than 22 worshippers died on Wednesday when two female suicide bombers attacked a mosque on the outskirts of Maiduguri.
Reports said one bomber blew up inside the mosque and the second waited outside to detonate as survivors tried to escape.
At least 17 people were wounded and evacuated to the hospital, said Abdul Mohammed of the State Emergency Management Agency.
Umar Usman said he escaped because he was late.
“We were just a few metres away from the mosque when a loud bang erupted and all we could see was dark smoke and bodies littered around,” he told The Associated Press.
The mosque is in the Boko Haram stronghold of Umarari on the outskirts of the city that is the command centre of the Nigerian military’s war against Boko Haram Islamic insurgents. Several suicide bombers have exploded in recent months at roadblocks leading into the city manned by the military and vigilantes, indicating success in preventing attackers from reaching crowded areas.