UPDATE - Triple suicide bombing in Nigeria blamed on Boko Haram

UPDATES WITH OFFICIAL CONFIRMING DEATH TOLL AT 12, INJURY TOLL AT 26

By Olarewaju Kola

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AA) - Twelve people were killed and 26 others injured in suspected triple suicide bombings in northeastern Borno State on Monday, according to an official emergency official.

State Emergency Management Chairman Ahmed Satomi confirmed the death and injury tolls while speaking with reporters.

Boko Haram is suspected to be behind the attack.

Three suspected bombers targeted a crowded area in the remote village of Mashimari in the Konduga Local Government area, some 35 kilometers (22 miles) from Maiduguri, the provincial capital.

The bombings happened on Monday morning but information did not reach the capital until later due to the remoteness of the village.

Communication networks in the area have also been cut off by Boko Haram.

The terror group seeks to carve out a state for itself in Nigeria’s north. Its insurgency has forced around three million people to flee their homes.

Boko Haram seized some areas and declared a ‘caliphate’ in 2013 until the military recaptured the districts in early 2015.