14 killed as suicide bombings hit mosque in Nigeria

Abuja: At least 14 people, mainly worshippers, were killed on Thursday after two suicide blasts hit a mosque on the outskirts of Nigeria's Maiduguri city, capital of the northeastern state of Borno, police said.

Many others were injured when two suicide bombers hit the mosque in Molai area of the restive Maiduguri city, Borno state police chief Aderemi Opadokun told Xinhua.

The two suicide bombers detonated their improvised explosive devices in and outside the mosque respectively, causing the building collapsed, he said.

The two suicide bombers were among the casualties counted, he added.

The injured have been evacuated to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital and other specialist hospitals in the Maiduguri metropolis.

The senior police officer said security operatives had promptly arrived at the place of the explosion to cordon off the area.

Thursday's incident was the second this week to hit the northeast city of Maiduguri, capital of Borno state, after multiple blasts killed at least eight people in another location.

The militant group Boko Haram was blamed for the attacks. The group, fighting against the government to create an Islamic state, has carried out waves of bombings in the northern region and capital city of Nigeria over the years.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered military chiefs to end the insurgency of Boko Haram in the most populous African country by December.