44 killed in bomb blasts in Nigeria’s Jos

On Friday, the military said six women suicide bombers caused explosions that killed scores of people including a soldier at Zabamari Muna village outside Maiduguri, the biggest city in northeast Nigeria and the birthplace of Boko Haram.

Abdussalam Mohammed of the National Emergency Management Agency confirmed that 67 other people were wounded and are being treated in hospitals.

Another bomb exploded at Shagalinku, a restaurant popular with politicians.

“I am sad that a terrorist bomb attack just killed 20 people in Sabon Gari Zaria”, Mr El-Rufa’i said on his Twitter account.

Emergency services say 47 others have been injured.

Associated Press People gather at the site of suicide bomb attack on church in Potiskum, Nigeria, Sunday. Gunmen started shooting sporadically and then there was a loud blast. In January, three people were killed and 43 hurt during a bombing in a market.

The attacker entered the Redeemed Christian Church of God in the Jigawa area on the outskirts of Potiskum and detonated his explosives.

Ojutiku expressed disappointment in the Nigerian government’s response to Boko Haram, but he also voiced a need for a global response to the violence.

Sheikh Muhammad Sani Yahya Jingir, who survived the attack, is known for preaching against Boko Haram and has written a book, which criticises the group, called Boko Halal (Western education is permitted – Boko Haram means Western education is forbidden).

Over 200 people have been killed in similar incidents in Nigeria in recent days, including five who died in a church bombing Sunday.

Boko Haram has increased the intensity and frequency of its attacks on civilians since President Muhammadu Buhari came to power on May 29 vowing to crush the rebels. Before the March presidential vote, his All Progressives Congress party put up billboards around the country that promised, “We will defeat Boko Haram“.

“As we have said before, the people of northern Nigeria deserve to live free from violence and from terror”, U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said in a statement.

Boko Haram took over large swathes of territory previous year but have since been repelled from most parts by Nigerian forces with the help of Chad, Niger and Cameroon.