www.ibtimes.co.uk/nigeria-boko-haram-gombe-mosque-suicide-attack-kills-two-people-1483351


At least two people have been killed as a suicide
bomber blew himself up outside a mosque in
Northern Nigeria.
The incident took place in the city of Gombe, in
Gombe state.
The blast left also another 14 people injured, some
of whom were in critical condition, Reuters
reported.


Who are Boko Haram militants?
Boko Haram, which fights against Western
influence in Nigeria and aims to impose its
version of sharia law in the country, declared an
Islamic caliphate in Gwoza, along the Cameroon
border, in August 2014.
The group has been raiding several cities in the
north of the country in a bid to take control of
more land.
Violence linked to Boko Haram's insurgency has
resulted in an estimated 10,000 deaths
between 2002 and 2013.
Three states, Adamawa, Borno and Yobe have
been under a state of emergency since May
2013, due to Boko Haram's deadly attacks.


"We were holding prayers when we heard a loud
explosion," a witness said. "We rushed out of the
mosque. There were so many people injured on the
ground."
Nobody has yet claimed responsibility but suspicions
are likely to fall on terror group Boko Haram, which
has recently stepped up its attacks throughout
northern and central Nigeria.
The group, condemned worldwide for having
kidnapped some 220 schoolgirls last April, captured
16 towns at the beginning of January and slaughtered
at least 2,000 people, including women and
children, in Baga town, Borno state.
The mass-killing was dubbed as "possibly the
deadliest" committed by the terrorists, believed to
have killed thousand of civilians since their
insurgence began in 2009.
Experts have argued that the rise in Boko Haram's
attacks is linked to the upcoming presidential
election, which will be held on 14 February.
According to Norman Amidu, international analyst
and senior consultant at iecoAfrica, Boko Haram has
been used as a tool by people who are not happy
with Goodluck Jonathan, the current Nigerian
president.
"We need to consider two factors when we talk about
Boko Haram: First there is the undeniable Islamic
fundamentalism that is growing in the country. But
there is also a political factor," he told IBTimes UK.
"There is a belief that there are some people behind
Boko Haram and they use the group's insurgence to
promote their agenda: they are unhappy with
Jonathan and therefore they use terrorism to urge
the president to step down so that a president from
the north can be elected."