Hyacinth Chinweuba/Ijeoma Agudosi
Seven people were killed and at least 11 injured in three suicide bombings late Tuesday in the northeastern Nigerian town of Maiduguri, the army said.
“The explosions occurred at three-minute intervals and seven people were confirmed dead, including the three suicide terrorists, while 11 others sustained various degrees of injuries,” Nigerian army spokesman Sani Kukasheka Usman said in a statement Wednesday.
Boko Haram has killed thousands of people since it began its violent campaign in 2009.
In a video posted on Youtube on Oct. 7, an unidentified member said Abubakar Shekau continues to lead the group and denied claims made by the Nigerian army that it’s close to defeating the insurgency.
The army also repelled an attack by insurgents at a mosque in Okene town in the central state of Kogi early on Tuesday morning, killing two attackers, according to the statement.
President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the security forces to step up the fight against Boko Haram’s six-year insurgency.
The troops are backed by a multinational force combining soldiers from Cameroon, Chad and Niger who have faced attacks by Islamist fighters.