No wedding bells in Borno

Suicide bombers attack guests at a wedding ceremony in Borno

Jul 01, 2024

Good morning, Big Brains. I hope you made happy memories during the weekend because how else are you going to survive Monday’s insanity? If you feel unproductive today, just remember that I have a generator that has never been put to work before because its owner has no idea how to turn it on. If this doesn’t motivate you, you’re the problem.

- Margaret

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Let’s get into today’s edition:

18 people killed in Borno state by suicide bombers
Boko Haram fighters surrender in Cameroon and Nigeria
President Biden attempts to bounce back from debate damages with new speech

The Big Deal

18 people killed in Borno state by suicide bombers

Like every other Saturday in Nigeria, there were several wedding ceremonies across the country. But on June 29, one particular wedding in Borno didn’t end on a very festive note. While many gathered to celebrate love at a wedding venue in Gwoza town, Borno State, a suicide bomber set off an improvised explosive device (IED). The attack resulted in the deaths of six wedding guests and left many other guests injured.

Eyewitnesses report that the first bomber, a young mother in her twenties, pretended to be a guest at the wedding while carrying a baby on her back. She then set off the bomb at the venue.

The Director-General of the State Emergency Management Agency(SEMA), Barkindo Saidu, said he witnessed the first blast.

“In my presence, at about 3 PM, the first bomb blast in Gwoza occurred, detonated by a female suicide bomber in the midst of the marriage ceremony celebration. It affected more than 30 persons with various levels of injuries and instant death. Some minutes later, another blast occurred around General Hospital.”

Later, during the burial of those who died, another bomber, disguised as a mourner, detonated a bomb at the burial site, killing one person.

While emergency officials were trying to rescue injured people, another suicide bomber described as a teenage girl detonated a bomb.

In response to these tragic events, the military has immediately imposed a curfew in Gwoza.

Why is this a big deal?

The Northern region of Nigeria has always been one of the most terrorised parts of the country.

But the news of suicide bombing, like the Dikwa suicide bombing which claimed 14 lives in 2017, have been less featured on the front page of newspapers since the Nigerian army started doubling down on defence attacks. The tragic event in Borno state shows a heightened security threat in the region, suggesting it may be the beginning of more incidents like this.

Boko Haram fighters surrender in Cameroon and Nigeria

Moving on to lighter updates on terrorism, the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) has announced that three Boko Haram members surrendered to their troops during "Operation Lake Sanity II" in Cameroon and Nigeria.

In Cameroon , two fighters, Rawagana Mustapha, who is 18, and Mustapha Ali, 20, surrendered at Wulgo while Ibrahim Malam, 28, surrendered to the 403 Amphibious Brigade in Nigeria. Malam had been with Boko Haram for six years, living near Lake Chad in southern Kwaleram.

As part of the operation, MNJTF also conducted a week-long medical outreach in Cameroon's extreme North, offering free medical check-ups and medications to local communities affected by the terrorist group.

President Biden attempts to bounce back from debate damages with new speech

As Nigerians, we’ve witnessed many hilarious presidential moments – presidential falls, presidential grammatical blunders – but after coming across clips from the debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump of the United States, we can all collectively agree that Nigerian presidents are yet to pull off anything that is that hilarious.

The debate, which anybody could have easily mistaken for a little face-off between two secondary school kids, left America in doubt about the ability of both men to lead the country. Biden, whose chances of winning the November election have been looking shaky since the conviction of his son, has been trying to fix his reputation.

After his unimpressive performance in Thursday's debate, President Biden's team went into damage-control mode. His hesitations and lapses in thought raised concerns about his ability to serve another term. He struggled to match his outspoken opponent’s energy and gave weak responses to Trump’s claims.

But Biden bounced back on Friday with more confidence, attempting to recover from the disastrous debate. There have been rumours that the Democratic Party will replace him as their nominee but his delivery of lines that Democrats had hoped for during the televised debate made those rumours less relevant.

In a memorable comeback moment, Biden candidly admitted, "I don’t walk or speak as smoothly as I used to. I don’t debate as well as I used to. But I know how to tell the truth. I know how to do this job." His supporters were impressed by the vulnerability and they cheered him on.

Addressing Trump's performance in the debate, Biden threw a jab better than all the secondary school insults he managed to hurl at Trump during the televised debate, saying, "Did you see Trump last night? He likely set a new record for the most lies told in a single debate." He also added that Trump's a threat to the nation's freedoms, democracy, and values, calling him a genuine danger.

But Biden still has more repairs to do…

Before the debate, bettors gave Biden a 35% chance of winning in November on Smarkets. But by Friday, those odds had dropped to below 20%. With another debate scheduled for September 10, Biden's campaign still has some potential to regain relevance.

The Big Picks

One Dead, Five Injured In France Wedding Hall Attack: Police sources reported that one person was fatally shot and five others were injured in northeastern France during an attack by several masked gunmen at a wedding ceremony.

US Rapper Kanye West Visits Moscow: US rapper Kanye West was reportedly in Moscow following controversy over his political statements in the United States, including comments that were perceived as "praising" Adolf Hitler.

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