Teenage suicide bomber sets off explosion in Maiduguri

ABUJA, Nigeria—A female teenage suicide bomber set off a bomb Saturday in northeastern Maiduguri, Boko Haram’s birthplace. The attack came after Nigeria’s president said the army had cleared the Islamic extremists from their stronghold in the Sambisa forest.

Victor Isuku, Borno state police spokesman, confirmed the explosion happened on Saturday night at the state’s customs area. The girl detonated the bomb as she approached a crowd buying food from a vendor, witnesses said.

“The girl walked towards the crowd, but she blew up before she could reach her target,” Grema Usman, a witness who lives in the area, told AFP.

Witnesses said one person was injured by the blast’s shrapnel. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but Boko Haram continues with sporadic attacks across the state.

The Nigerian Army last week said its troops had cleared Boko Haram’s last stronghold in Sambisa and reported several extremists fled the region.

“Given the situation of the Boko Haram terrorists who are currently in disarray, the public is hereby warned to be wary of individuals coming to hibernate in and around their homes,” said Gen. Leo Irabor, the army’s operation commander.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari acknowledged the army’s reported rout, saying, “the terrorists are on the run, and no longer have a place to hide.”

Boko Haram has killed more than 20,000 people and triggered a humanitarian crisis in Nigeria’s northeast that put some 5 million people at risk of starvation. The terror group’s attacks continue despite the army’s victory declaration. Boko Haram claimed responsibility for an attack on a military facility last week that injured several soldiers. Abubakar Shekau, Boko Haram’s former leader, posted a video that denied the army’s claims and urged the extremists to continue their insurgency.

“If you indeed crushed us, how can you see me like this?” Shekau asked in the video. “How many times have you killed us in your bogus death?”

The army dismissed the video as the group’s propaganda attempt to remain relevant.