There was confusion in Maduguri, the Borno State capital, on Thursday when female suicide bombers suspected to be members of Boko Haram targeted different parts of the town, including Zajeri and Ajilari.

Two days before Sallah, Ajilari witnessed a deadly suicide bomb attack that killed more than 100 people and injured 97.

Thursday’s attackers, who were said to have driven in tricycles, found their way to the locations around 7:00pm.

According to residents who confirmed the incidents, a roadside tea seller and a leader of the youth vigilante group, Civilian JTF, were among the targets.

Ten people were believed to have lost their lives in the attack on the tea seller while five died when another bomb went off at the house of the Civilian JTF leader’s house. The leader is believed to have escaped death but sustained injuries.

Soldiers, however, prevented a heavy casualty when they shot dead two other suspected bombers, resulting in loud explosion, which signified they had bombs on them.

In a rather curious move, spokesperson for the 7 Division Nigerian Army, Tukur Gusau, a Colonel, denied the attackers and said the sounds heard were as a result of the military carrying out testing of equipment.

“There is no cause for alarm. We are test firing our weapons for night operations efficiency,” he said.

Ordinarily, the military would warn residents ahead of such exercise to prevent panic.