At least three dead in Nigeria suicide attack

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria: At least three people were killed and 15 injured in a suicide bomb attack claimed by Boko Haram on a university campus in northeast Nigeria, police said on Monday.

The blast happened at a mosque in the staff quarters area of the University of Maiduguri and is thought to have been carried out by a teenage girl, a local resident and a lecturer told AFP.

Islamist group Boko Haram, which has repeatedly used young women and girls as human bombs, claimed responsibility for the attack.

"We are the ones that triggered the explosions in the University of Maiduguri," said Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau in an audio message. "A woman can fight when the need arises."

Borno police spokesman Victor Isuku said that before the blast at the mosque, police on patrol shot a girl aged about 12 as she tried to get into the university at about 5:15 am (0415 GMT).

"The IED (improvised explosive device) strapped to her body exploded, killing her instantly," he said in a statement. "Shortly after that a second explosion occurred in a mosque inside the university.

"Four persons, including a professor and the second suicide bomber, died, while 15 persons sustained various degrees of injuries and were rushed to UMTH (University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital)."

One local resident, who asked not to be identified, said he heard two explosions at 5:25 am as he was leaving the mosque in his neighbourhood.

"I rushed to the university, which is not far from my house. On entering, I saw the mosque in a mess. Three people lay dead, including a young girl, whose body was badly mutilated," he said. "Thirteen other worshippers were injured."

A university lecturer who lives on site confirmed the resident´s account. Christian and Muslim students live and study together at the university, which offers both Islamic and Arabic studies, as well as courses from medicine to law.