The Borno state police command has confirmed that five worshippers lost their lives while 35 others sustained injuries after a suicide bomber detonated an improvised explosive device (IED) inside a mosque at Gamborun Market in Maiduguri, the state capital.
Nahum Daso, the police spokesperson in the state, who verified the casualty figures, said those injured were swiftly taken to various hospitals across Maiduguri for urgent medical attention.
He said operatives of the explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) unit, working with other security agencies, were deployed to the scene to secure the location, restrict access, and carry out comprehensive sweeps to ensure no secondary explosive devices were planted.
Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency platform monitoring activities in the Lake Chad region, reported that the blast occurred around 6:15 p.m. during Magrib prayers, when the attacker set off the IED inside the crowded mosque.
The report said the explosion triggered panic as traders and residents fled the area amid thick smoke rising from the mosque, while some individuals attempted to help victims before emergency personnel arrived.
Security forces later sealed off the area to avert further harm and allow for a preliminary evaluation of the incident.
As of the time this report was filed, officials were yet to provide a definitive casualty count.
Mosque attacks have become increasingly frequent in Borno state.
In 2024, no fewer than 22 people were killed when two female suicide bombers struck a mosque in Ummarari village near Molai, on the outskirts of Maiduguri.
Similarly, in 2019, suspected Boko Haram insurgents attacked a mosque in Maiduguri, leaving 11 people dead.