Bomb Explosion Kills 9 People Waiting For Bus

UNSPLASH/Abey Koshy ILLUSTRATION

Nine people were killed in an explosion in a bus park in Nigeria, which is thought to have been caused by a bomb planted by a militant suspect that stepped up an attack in the state of Borno.

Borno has been the center of an Islamist uprising for the past 16 years, which has killed thousands of Nigerians and expelled tens of thousands of people from their homes.

The resident of Mairari village in Guzamala district, Borno, was waiting for transport when the bomb exploded on Saturday, May 31, killing nine people, said Abdulkarim Lawan, a member of parliament for the area.

Opponent, who is also a spokesman for the Borno state assembly, said that Mairari's village is now mostly empty due to attacks often carried out by Boko Haram and West African Islamic State, which are also increasingly using homemade explosives.

"Terrorists who have monitored their movements are planting explosives at a local bus stop, which exploded while they were waiting to board a public vehicle returning to their destination," he said.

State police spokesman Borno Nahum Kenneth Daso confirmed the incident but said he did not have details.

Bunu Bukar, a small trader at the bus stop, said the explosive device exploded as passengers boarded the minibus, killing nine people instantly and injuring several others.