A bomb explosion rocked a tea house in Kawuri village, Borno State, northeast Nigeria, on Wednesday evening, claiming the lives of 19 people and injuring approximately two dozen others. Ibrahim Liman, a member of an anti-militia group working with the army, confirmed the tragic incident, stating, “There was an explosion at a tea joint in Kawuri around 8:00 pm yesterday. We have recovered 19 dead bodies and 27 injured.” The attack, one of the deadliest in recent years in northeast Nigeria, raises alarming concerns about a possible resurgence of violence in the region. Earlier this month, female suicide bombers targeted a wedding, a funeral, and a hospital in coordinated attacks across northern Nigeria, leaving at least 18 people dead. The insurgency, which has spread beyond Nigeria’s borders around Lake Chad, has resulted in the tragic loss of over 35,000 lives and displaced over 2.6 million people, creating a humanitarian crisis of immense proportions. Boko Haram, with one faction aligned with the Islamic State group, seeks to establish an Islamic state in Nigeria, a nation of 170 million people, divided almost equally between a mainly Christian south and a predominantly Muslim north. The recent surge in suicide bombings in Borno has prompted authorities to impose a curfew in the city, a measure intended to enhance security and curb further violence. Gwoza, the site of the latest attack, lies in close proximity to Chibok, where 276 schoolgirls were abducted in 2014, with nearly 100 of them still held captive. Since then, armed groups have kidnapped at least 1,500 students across Nigeria, exploiting the practice as a lucrative means to fund their criminal activities and exert control over villages. The latest incident underscores the persistent threat posed by extremist groups in the region and serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing challenges facing the Nigerian government in its efforts to combat terrorism and restore stability.
