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Suicide Bombers Kills Four, Injuries Seven In Borno …As Fresh Attack Claims Seven In Zamfara
Four people have been killed and seven others injured in the latest Boko Haram attack in the restive town of Konduga in Borno State, the police confirmed, yesterday.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Damian Chukwu, told reporters in Maiduguri that the jihadists detonated an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) at a village, known as Mashimari in the Konduga Local Government Area on May 27, killing the four people.
Chukwu said that two of the dead were civilians, but, however, did not explain the identities of the other victims.
According to him, the bombers managed to sneak into Mashimari, a community near an Internally Displaced Persons Camp and detonated their IED.
He said that the Police Explosive Ordinance Device Corps had been deployed to the area.
It was learnt that the bombers detonated their explosives inside a house and near a mosque in the Mashamari area of Konduga, 35 kilometres (20 miles) southeast of the Borno State capital Maiduguri, last Sunday evening.
“Three people were killed in the two attacks and seven others were injured,” chief security officer of the Borno State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Bello Danbatta, told newsmen.
“One of them detonated near a mosque while residents were preparing for the evening prayers and moments later the second one detonated inside a house,” said Danbatta, who was involved in evacuation of the victims.
But Ibrahim Liman, of the civilian militia force assisting the military against Boko Haram, said two more victims died on the way to the hospital in Maiduguri, raising the death toll to five.
The attack came two weeks after five militia members were killed by a male bomber who detonated explosives concealed on him at a checkpoint outside Konduga.
Boko Haram’s nine-year violence to create a hardline Islamic state has killed 20,000 people and displaced 2.6 million from their homes in Nigeria.
The violence has spilled into neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon.
Although the militant group has been considerably weakened in a regional fight back mustering troops from Nigeria and its neighbours, attacks persist.
The jihadists have resorted to the use of suicide bombers, mostly women and girls, targeting military checkpoints, mosques, markets, bus stations, schools and other crowded places.
On May 1, at least, 86 people were killed in twin suicide blasts targeting a mosque and a nearby market in the town of Mubi in neighbouring Adamawa State.
Konduga has seen countless bloody attacks by insurgents since the crisis hit Nigeria’s expansive northeast almost a decade ago.
On February 17, this year, 22 people were killed in a bomb attack at a fish market in Konduga, one of the deadliest incidents in the recurring bloodbath in the town.
The jihadists, who are fighting to enthrone a strict Islamic state, have killed1 thousands of people, ruining the economy of the northeast and displacing millions of people.
But federal troops have decimated the fighters, making the insurgents to resort to attacking soft targets in various communities from time to time.
Sources said that two female suicide bombers suspected to be Boko Haram jihadists were behind the attack.
Meanwhile, Zamfara State Police Command has confirmed the death of seven persons in fresh attack by gunmen of Gidan-Labbo village in Gidan-Goga district of Maradun local government area of the state.
The Public Relations Officer of the Command, DSP Muhammad Shehu disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Gusau, last Sunday.
He said the unidentified bandits, last Friday attacked people of Gidan Labbo village at Malikawa Forest while the victims were clearing their farmlands to prepare for this year’s rainy season.
“As soon as we received the report, our men were deployed to the area. They discovered seven bodies”.
He said the command and other security agencies have already deployed security personnel to the area to maintain peace and stability.
He urged people of the state to continue to support security agents with information on criminals to enable them take proactive measures.
The Zamfara State Governor, Alhaji Abdul’aziz Yari, yesterday, disclosed that the bandits are now sending threat letters to farmers in the state, asking them to keep away from their farms.
Yari made this known while launching the sales and distribution of fertiliser to farmers in the state at Nasarawar-Burkullu town in Bukkuyum local government area of the state.
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The Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has directed his lawyers to withdraw all ongoing defamation lawsuits against several individuals, saying he was moved by counsel during a New Year Mass.
Speaking at the Sacred Heart Parish in Uyo, yesterday, Akpabio said he had filed nearly nine lawsuits against individuals he accused of defaming him.
He said, “I had almost nine cases in court against some individuals who defamed me, who lied against me, who slandered my name.
“But I listened to the priest and suddenly realised he was talking to me, so I hereby direct my solicitor to withdraw all lawsuits against them.”
In 2025, Akpabio had filed several high-profile defamation lawsuits, including one against colleague Senator Natasha Akpoti?Uduaghan.
In late 2025, Akpabio filed a N200 billion defamation lawsuit against her over allegations of sexual harassment, which he denied and urged her to substantiate in court.
Earlier in the year, Akpabio’s wife also filed defamation suits against Akpoti?Uduaghan over claims she said had harmed her family’s reputation.
Relations between the two lawmakers soured after Akpoti?Uduaghan accused Akpabio of influencing her suspension from the Senate in March 2025, following her public allegations of misconduct.
The Senator had previously challenged actions taken against her in court, including a N100 billion defamation suit she filed against Akpabio and other defendants over alleged remarks that she said damaged her reputation.
With yesterday’s announcement, Akpabio has formally ended all pending legal disputes arising from defamation claims, signalling closure to the publicised litigations as the year begins.
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has declared that the best form of gratitude Rivers people owe President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for protecting the interest of the State is to galvanize massive support for the President in 2027.
Fubara disclosed this last Monday during the commissioning of Permanent Secretaries Quarters built by his administration at Elimgbu in Obio Akpor Local Government Area of the State.
He said that the State has what it takes to deliver the President during the 2027 general elections.
“We’ve taken a decision,our decision is for the good of Rivers State, our decision is to say thank you for the protection we have from Mr President, our decision is to prove that we have what it takes to deliver Mr President.”
Fubara expressed delight over the completion of the project, stating that the initiative was to provide accommodation, a basic need of life for public servants in the state to improve their productivity.
He explained that lack of effective social welfare was at the root of some incriminating actions that undermine the purpose of governance, noting that the commissioning of the newly built Permanent Secretaries Quarters marks a significant milestone in civil service welfare and institutional development.
“Insecurity begins when individuals are uncertain of what the next hour holds. This situation is especially challenging for family men and women, affecting confidence and decision-making,” he observed.
Fubara emphasized the need for proper maintenance of the facility and urged the beneficiaries to protect the project like a personal property, while directing the State Head of Service to appoint a facility manager to ensure long-term maintenance.
In her remarks, the Special Guest of Honour and Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Didi Esther Walson-Jack, who unveiled the project, expressed appreciation to the governor and Rivers State for inviting her to commission the project.
She commended Fubara for prioritizing the welfare of Permanent Secretaries who are senior public servants and accounting officers, noting that the project reflects purposeful and visionary leadership, and urged other states to borrow a cue from the Rivers State Governor.
Walson-Jack described the initiative as a strategic investment in staff welfare and institutional continuity which she noted is in line with Renewed Hope Initiative on provision of mass housing and social stability.
“The commissioning of these houses reflect a deliberate commitment to the dignity, welfare, and productivity of senior public servants responsible for policy coordination and service delivery,” she said.
In his goodwill message, the National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Ajibode Bashiru, who led a high powered delegation on a visit to the governor, congratulated Rivers people for aligning with the Pan Nigerian political party, assuring that the interest of Rivers State will be duly protected in the APC.
He described President Bola Tinubu as a detribalised Nigerian who anchors his leadership on equity, fairness and justice, adding that the APC will provide a level playing ground for all.
The APC chief scribe also commended Fubara for providing good accommodation for public servants, stating that it will address issues of sabotage, compromise and disloyalty on the part of public servants.
Giving the project description, Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Works, Dr. Austin Ezekiel-Hart, said the estate comprises 29 units, including nine standalone duplexes and 20 terrace buildings.
Facilities feature a water treatment plant, synchronized power generators, CCTV and alarm systems, a gym, recreational areas, and green spaces—designed to enhance comfort, performance, and productivity.
Earlier, the Head of the Rivers State Civil Service, Dr Mrs Inyingi Brown, had thanked the governor for his visionary initiative and unwavering commitment to the welfare of Rivers State Civil Servants, and restated the commitment of the State civil servants to the success of Fubara’s administration.
By: Taneh Beemene