Three female suicide bombers died in the flashpoint Nigerian state of Borno when the explosives strapped to their bodies detonated, police said today, adding no one else was killed.
State Police Commissioner Aderemi Opadokun said the bombers died yesterday on their way to the state capital Maiduguri, which has been hit multiple times by Boko Haram suicide attacks.
"All three suicide bombers were killed and there were no other casualties," he said.
It is unclear whether Boko Haram was behind the attempted attack but the militant group has previously used female suicide bombers and homemade explosives in its bloody six-year insurgency.
News of the deaths came as Nigeria's new President Muhammadu Buhari, who has made stopping the group's insurgency a top priority, prepares to meet his regional counterparts on the issue.
Heads of state from Niger, Chad, Cameroon and Benin are due in the capital Abuja tomorrow to discuss plans for an enhanced multinational force to take on the militants.
Since Buhari took office on May 29, Boko Haram attacks have gathered pace in northeast Nigeria, with a total of 109 people reportedly killed.
