Local militia carried sack containing metal objects to town of Monguno, north-east Nigeria, where it blew up, according to witnesses

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

A sack full of homemade bombs found at an abandoned Boko Haram camp has exploded in north-east Nigeria, killing at least 12 people.

Haruna Bukar, who witnessed the blast, said the local militia was patrolling when it came across the camp and the bag containing metal objects, which was carried to the town of Monguno.



He said on Wednesday that the sack exploded as residents gathered round to examine it.

There has been no official death toll, and varying reports of the number of victims, ranging from 12 killed to 63.

Scores of people have been killed this month in suicide and other bombings carried out by the extremist group using similar improvised explosive devices.

Boko Haram had taken control of a large swath of north-east Nigeria before multinational troops forced them out of towns and villages this year. Nigeria’s military has said the group is confined to the Sambisa Forest.

The extremists deny this and have stepped up bombings and hit-and-run attacks since the Nigerian president, Muhammadu Buhari, announced at his inauguration on 29 May that the command control centre for the war against the insurgents was moving to Maiduguri, the capital of Nigeria’s Borno state.

About 13,000 people have died in the six-year uprising by Boko Haram, during which more than 1.5 million have been driven from their homes.