5 dead in suicide blast at Nigeria leprosy hospital

At least five people have been killed and 10 wounded after a suicide bomber blew himself up outside a leprosy hospital on the outskirts of the northeast Nigerian city of Maiduguri, emergency services said.

The bomber, who tried to gain access to the hospital, detonated his explosives outside the building at around 5:30 pm (1630 GMT) on Sunday.

“Five people were killed and 10 others injured near the Molai leprosy hospital when a male bomber blew himself up,” said Mohammed Kanar, regional coordinator for the National Emergency Management Agency.

“The bomber had wanted to get entry into the hospital but was contemplating how to pass through security checks at the gate when the bomb went off.” 

He added: “We took the bodies and the injured to the specialist hospital (in Maiduguri).” 

Local resident Ibrahim <g data-gr-id="21">Bulama</g> said the bomber was one of three men who were dropped off near the hospital by a SUV vehicle.

“They looked around for a while, obviously trying to sneak into the hospital,” Bulama said, adding that the facility was being guarded by civilian vigilantes who are assisting the military in the fight against Boko Haram Islamist insurgents.

“Suddenly, the explosives on one of them went off. The other two fled in the confusion. Five people were killed and 10 others injured.”