Boko Haram militants have attacked a Nigerian vegetable market the day after it reopened its doors.
The market, which was closed in 2014 following the kidnapping of over 200 schoolgirls, had only reopened on January 27th when two female suicide bombers detonated their weapons, killing 15 civilians and 1 soldier. The attack left 30 more seriously injured and fighting for their lives as the hospital struggles to keep up with blood donations for the victims.
The two women were not alone in the attack. Reports from the village revealed that 4 men were also involved in separate bombings in the area, where one of the men reportedly detonated his bomb at a military checkpoint.
Residents of Chibok expressed a deepening concern for their safety as they had been assured that things were returned to normal following the kidnapping, despite Boko Haram operating only miles away and with road closures still in effect.
The attacks come after news that Nigeria’s president Muhammadu Buhari had announced a new investigation into the kidnapping of the Chibok girls will launch this year. Although the Nigerian military has been working to free different groups kidnapped by the terrorist organization, none of the girls rescued have been from Chibok.
Boko Haram initially began as an organization opposed to the Western education style, but has since grown into a vast terrorist organization that recently joined the Islamic State, calling itself the IS’ west African province. The Nigerian military reclaimed much of the claimed territory this past year.
