At least ten persons were killed in a suicide bomb blast at a local food joint near a cinema in Konduga town, the headquarters of Konduga Local Government Area of Borno State.

Konduga is about 40 kilometers from Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

A resident of the town, Mallam Bulama Abubakar, claimed that over 20 people may have died in the explosion, which occurred Friday night.

“As I speak to you, we just concluded the funeral prayers of 12 people killed in the blast. Several others also sustained varying degrees of injuries,” Abubakar said.

However, the Borno State Police Command confirmed the incident and stated that ten persons were killed in the attack.

According to the Command’s Public Relations Officer, ASP Kenneth Daso, the suicide bomber—identified as a female—detonated her explosives at about 10:00 p.m.

“We received a distress call yesterday evening around 10:00 p.m. A female suicide bomber carrying Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) infiltrated a crowd at a local food market and detonated the explosives, killing ten people and injuring others,” Daso said in a telephone interview with journalists in Maiduguri.

He added that security personnel quickly cordoned off the area and evacuated the victims, while the injured were rushed to hospitals in Maiduguri for medical treatment.

ASP Daso urged members of the public to remain vigilant and share useful information with the police and other security agencies.

“The fight against terrorism should not be left to security agencies alone. We call on the public to report any suspicious movement or activity,” he said.