Suicide attacks in Nigeria, Cameroon kill 12 plus 5 bombers

Maiduguri: Officials say five girl suicide bombers have killed at least 12 people in Nigeria and Cameroon in weekend attacks. The bombers also died.

Police who blamed Boko Haram say one girl detonated explosives strapped to her body last evening at a military checkpoint guarding an entry to the northeastern city of Maiduguri. She killed herself and seven other passengers who got off a bus to be searched. A dozen people were injured.

It was the first suicide bombing in nearly a month in Maiduguri, the birthplace of Nigeria's homegrown Islamic extremists.

Cameroon said today that four teenage suicide bombers killed themselves and a family of five when they were stopped by self-defence fighters in that country's Fotokol town, near Nigeria's border.

Nigeria's military has destroyed several Boko Haram camps recently.